We Both Remember
by Child at Heart Forever
Summary: Sonic's world completely turns upside down when he takes a trip to Soleanna, only to end up in a whole new brand of trouble. A princess kidnapped, an assassin after his head, and a quest to save the future...are all things only Sonic himself can recall ever happening. But he's not crazy! There's gotta be someone else that knows...right? Someone else that remembers?
1. Memories of Our Meeting

**Hello, and welcome to an adaptation of Sonic's story and the Last Story of 06/Next-Gen! It is one of three stories that together make up the "Several Wills Trilogy", which is technically the complete version of this novelization. I absolutely won't make anyone read all three, but I highly recommend at least checking out two (and remember, Sonic's the canon story). **

**Um, I can't think of any to say that's different from what I said in Absolute Dreams, although I must ask you to go easy on any "Elise bashing". If you want to discuss how I personally portray her, sure, fine. I can fix that. But going on about useless and terrible she was in the game and how she should die or burn isn't gonna help anything. I do my best to make her interesting (later on, anyway; she's a bit plain in this chapter, I'll admit), but she still has her flaws, and we all know that. A****nd before I forget- any suggestions of SonicxElise is purely one-sided, and we all know which side THAT is...anything on Sonic's end is just him being Sonic, I swear. Not supporting it, not bashing it...but I can't ignore it either. XP **

**Anyway, just have fun with it and I hope you enjoy. ^^**

* * *

We Both Remember

Soleanna…a peaceful little kingdom with kind and gentle people, far from any of the cities of more crowded civilization. It was a kingdom out in the countryside, where winds blew through wild grasses out on the prairie, beaches lined the boarders and were home to a glorious ocean, and a place where everyone knew everyone, and rarely did a thing out of the ordinary happen.

_Unless, of course, it was the Festival of the Sun. _

Every year, people from all walks of life would cross the globe and arrive in Soleanna, just to partake in our annual festivities. There was dancing, fireworks, feasts, and a parade on the water…oh, it was all glorious, but I could never enjoy it to its fullest extent. _That_ was because I had certain…obligations to attend to during the celebration. As far as I can remember, every festival went by without a hitch; all the citizens and tourists were happy, our god was pleased, and everything was just as it should be, without even so much as a stir in the wind…

But for whatever reason, there was one year in particular; the year I was seventeen…yes, the festival passed by with nothing happening, but I can't help but look back and recall things that shouldn't have happened but knew they had regardless. And in each and every one of those memories…was a hedgehog, and during our time together, he had been very dear to me, because not only had he saved me physically…

…but he freed my spirit, which I think is what truly saved me.

Prologue: Memories of Our Meeting

The moon was full on that fateful night; the waves of the river stirring as my boat sailed gently through its waters. Fireworks launched up into the purple night sky, and everyone had gathered to watch the celebration, and play their part in it. All the buildings were adorned with simplistic lights that gave the city the right amount of ambiance, while the flocks of gondolas were mesmerizing just by the way they smoothly glided through the water.

I stood at the helm the lead boat, greeting all of my citizens with constant graceful waves, and while I was proud to shower my people with simple gratitude, it began to become…stale. Boring. The festival may have only been an annual event, but tending to my people and being a princess was a full-time thing. I know people clamor to be in my position, but if they were to just have a taste…they wouldn't like it. No one would.

Even with all the eyes of the kingdom and beyond on me, I always felt so lonely. No one truly understood how I felt, instead shooting down my desires. They would say things among the lines of "You're a princess! Be proud of who you are!" or "What have you to complain about? You have everything you could ask for!"

But I don't. No family, no friends, no freedom…I put on a smile and greet the masses, but could none see the sadness that built behind my eyes? Some days I just wanted to find the most out of the way place I could and cry.

_But I couldn't cry. I could never cry._

So there I was, making my grand entrance, with elegant dancers making graceful motions on the deck, and soldiers and ladies in waiting always on hand to assist me if need be. Everything was under control, however, and I knew that their anticipated assistance was unneeded.

_And almost, just almost…I wished I was wrong. Just for something different. But that would have been selfish of me, and a princess thinks of all else above herself…_

The sound of applause filled the air in a unanimous roar, sounding deafening in my ears. I bore my bright –and much practiced- grin, constantly waving and letting my presence be known. This carried on until my boat docked at the very center of Soleanna, a ceremonial piece for occasions such as this, where we worshiped our god, Solaris. I never quite understood why we worshiped Solaris so, but it was customary, and as the last in the line of royalty in the kingdom, the duty fell unto me…in more ways than people knew.

Walking onto the platform in the same dignified manner I always did, I passed out a few more waves to the people before calling for some silence. I paced towards the three robed figures who were waiting for me, eager for me to complete the ceremony. Two followed me off the boat, with one handing me the ceremonial torch.

Oh, how I hated that torch…it was heavier than it looked, and even after years of holding it, I despised every moment it was placed into my hands. Worse, every time I even took the slightest of glimpses into its flames…something deep inside me would awaken, and I'd lose track of all my thoughts.

This year was no different.

I just blinked for the quickest of seconds, finding my gaze accidentally locked with the enteral fire of the torch. I was instantly drawn into its intensity and power, finding myself lost in its flourishing flames…and for a moment, I _wanted_ that sort of power; _wanted_ to be that destructive…_wanted_ the flames to ravage through Soleanna like wildfire! Boil the serene waters and let all the buildings fall in fire-!

"Miss Elise?" one of the robed figures whispered to me, being the woman who had handed me he torch. She had snapped me out of my trance, like she had every year, and I gave her a reassuring nod.

"It…it's all right," I finally stammered, shaking off my visions. She gave me her questioning look, but backed off for the time being.

Everyone on the platform proceeded to bow, including myself with the accursed torch in hand. It was then that I recited those same words I've preached for the last ten years…

"We give thanks for the blessed flames. May we always continue to have peace. Sun of Soleanna, guide and watch over us with your eternal light…"

I stepped forward and lowered the torch; in an instant, the whole platform I was on lit up in snake fire, working its way around the sides and toward the top, igniting in a fantastic display of light. Fireworks took to the sky again as cheers permeated the air, and I only wished I could've been a part of that uproarious pleasure…

But still, I raised my hand and waved- my part had been completed, and now I was designated to go back to the castle, tending to my duties until the festival rolled around again…

_…but that was also the moment my life became…rather explosive._

I'd been busy with my wave when my lady in waiting sudden gained a fear-stricken look on her face, grabbing me and pulling me toward her. I barely had the chance to look over my shoulder when a horrendous boom shook the entirety of Soleanna. I'd assumed it had been some stray fireworks, but when everyone started scattering in extreme panic…I figured that wasn't the case.

Random explosives went off all throughout the city, with me being tossed to and fro just by the force of the detonations. A thousand questions rushed through my head, but the biggest one was answered when the source of the bombing arrived in a garish-looking carrier, filing the sky with its ominous presence. Some strange machines started dropping out of the cockpit, and I was stuck with nowhere to run on my little platform, finding myself suddenly surrounded by the deadly creations.

From the carrier descend a smaller craft, one that looked like it had enough room for a single person…although, I was just surprised that the one person even managed to fit, given the man's size.

"Oh, ho ho ho…!"

He descended on his personal craft with a dignified bow, and I wasn't sure if he was truly trying to be polite during his ruthless attack, or if it was a sarcastic gesture; an insult to injury, if you will. His red coat reflected the raving flames his missiles had caused, the light also reflecting off the glasses on his nose and the goggles on his forehead.

"A pleasure to meet you at last, Princess of Soleanna," he greeted, his shielded gaze locked directly onto me. "I am Doctor Eggman. I've come here to obtain the secret of the Flames of Disaster from you…and to take the miracle gems that are the key to its secret…the Chaos Emeralds!"

The Chaos Emerald, my blue gem of security…I'd been told when I was young that having even one Chaos Emerald was considered lucky. It did tend to give me protection and a feeling of comfort, but faced with this new strange threat…I could only wonder if it was going to be enough.

"Now, Princess; this way, please…" Eggman beckoned to me, kind enough but with malicious intent carefully lacing his tone.

I could only silently stare back and shake my head, backpedaling away from him solely out of instinct. This man, who came from nowhere and attacked my city and my kingdom was not welcome to anything of mine…! But if I didn't give in, he'd either take it from me by force or destroy the city or _both_, and with his drones all having their weapons trained on me, I felt utterly helpless in that moment…

_More helpless than I'd ever been, and I hated it, because I was always useless…_

And it was then that the wind suddenly picked up, but it was no natural gust…it was almost like it was alive; forceful, full of life, and simply seeing it and feeling it first hand was enough to make the adrenaline pump through my veins.

The wind became more like a blue blur, spinning rapidly around the platform in many circles and taking out the dozens of robots that had us all surrounded. It was a fierce whirlwind that served to take my breath away, out of sheer amazement alone!

"My, _that's_ a pretty snazzy performance there!"

In an instant, the blur had settled and perched atop the peak of the platform was a hedgehog, colored in cobalt blue and grinning with a smile that radiated friendly confidence.

I gasped, as I had seen something like him before…only the hedgehog I recalled had been white, angry, and surrounded by flames…

"You…? It can't be!"

They had to be two different hedgehogs, but the resemblance was relatively uncanny. However, he turned in a confident pose, and I swore I saw a twinkle in his eye that said he could do no wrong before he acted. There wasn't any time to focus on who he was, as I was too busy mesmerized with his fast-paced movement.

In one moment, he'd been at the top of the platform, Eggman's drones going mad with rapid fire, and in the next, he had jumped, flipping out of the explosion and dismounting a kick with a smile, knocking out one of the drones on the spot. He didn't miss a beat; he whisked himself from drone to drone, his several fluid motions simply blending into one unpredictable move. One by one, the opposing robots were taken down, and yet the heroic hedgehog practically flew through the air, sailing right through his enemies like they were made of paper. He didn't even blink as he committed astonishing feat after feat, like he did this on a regular basis, and never got bored of it…

_If this was the case, I'd be jealous._

I found myself flinching to protect myself from the sudden onslaught of debris he created with every defeat of a robot, but I finally caught another glimpse of him as he landed at the feet of a drone, alighting in a rather challenging stance, making an impressive shockwave. The drone in front of him was teetering on the edge of the platform, so he simply nudged it off with his foot and grinned cheekily as it plummeted into the burning water below.

He'd been ferocious and destructive, yet graceful and breath-taking at the same time…and I wondered how one person could be one way and the opposite at the same time. I didn't even know his name, and yet with the quick gazes of his bold green eyes, I realized he was a balance of kindness and ferocity, and carefree spirit with also being driven by determination, and he was so strong in many ways while being gentle all the while…the paradox of his personality was just so palpable that I could even tell from a distance, and his contradictory ways were just so mystifying…

And I'd gotten all that just by the way he fought and the way he smiled.

He then dashed over to me, doing a short and speedy bow that contrasted Eggman's before giving me a friendly two-fingered salute.

"I'm Sonic!" he said brightly. "Sonic the Hedgehog!"

He then literally _swooped_ in and swept me off my feet, careening away from the destruction with me securely in his arms…loose enough to be comfortable, but tight enough to provide support. I was surprised he was able to carry me that easily- I really wasn't that heavy, but I was _so much_ taller than him…

Sonic whisked me away like the moment had been choreographed, not looking the least bit worried, even as Eggman raised a fist in protest to the turn of events.

"Not that irritating hedgehog again…!"

_So this HAS happened more than once?_

"ATTACK!"

A swirl of missiles launched from his airship and his army of drones; I clutched Sonic protectively simply out of instinct while he didn't even flinch. He merely sidestepped all the attacks just by sensing where they _might _end up; he hadn't even needed to look over his shoulder!

I screamed in spite of myself, grabbing Sonic tighter as he tore through the streets and the world around us went up in explosions and shrapnel scattered all over the place. I thought I had a close call before, but seeing something detonating just an inch in front of your face brought things to a whole new level!

Regardless, Sonic managed to evade every one with vigor and finesse, and suddenly, I found myself able to relax in his arms, even though my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest.

**E-S**

_Talk about perfect timing…!_

What can I say? I'm a magnet for mishaps. I really try_ not_ to, but wherever I go, Eggman is sure to follow, and this is exceedingly true vice versa…

It'd been a year since anything of true interest had happened, that I knew, and I remember heading toward a little kingdom known as Soleanna. I had always wanted to completely travel the world, to see every aspect of life from every different angle I could, and I decided a foreign kingdom that was different from the forests of Mystic Ruins or the bustling cities that surrounded it was a good place to start.

…_and that's kinda where my memory gets a little…interesting. _

Yeah, I went to Soleanna, and I know I was there during the Festival of the Sun…but my memories kind of…_split_ at that point. There's a clearer version of the events that I know for sure had happened, but there was also a batch of fuzzier memories, ones that I could lucidly remember but was unable to piece just exactly when they had occurred, or if they had even occurred at all.

_I already had bad experiences with memories, but this must've been a special case._

Since everyone only believes the version of the events that they know for sure are true, being that there was a recent Festival of the Sun and nothing happened…I'll share the side of the story that no one else seems to recall; my crazy version of the events that should've happened but didn't, or whatever the case may be…

If only someone else could remember like I did, and then maybe I wouldn't feel like I'm partially crazy or something.

_Anyway._

Yes, I went to Soleanna during the celebration; that much can be confirmed…but I remember Eggman on the rise, which no one else does…

I remember dashing through the streets and enjoying myself, partaking in every activity the fest had to offer. The food, music, and attractions were definitely of a different appeal and variety than what I'd previously experienced, so I reveled in the change of pace.

_Then Eggman showed up and dragged me back into what I was used to._

He stormed the sky with his latest airborne armada and upgraded machinery, moving from the simplistic and narcissistic Egg Pawns to the more realistic and efficient drones he currently had…but no skin off my nose; they actually looked pretty fragile, in contrast to their amazing power. I then noticed that he was going for the princess, badgering her and tormenting her…and harming the city she probably worked hard to protect, and far be it from me to let Eggman get away with his constant underhanded tactics!

And I intervened, trashing every last one of his robots and whisking the princess to safety…in style, no less.

I could tell she was far out of her element in this crisis, especially after I picked her up and she was clinging to me like a lifeline. I didn't mind; had I been her, I probably would've been scared silly too! I hoped I hadn't startled her with my risky and bold rescue, which I hadn't even realized could've been dangerous at the time, but once I got her out of harm's way, even just for a moment…she relaxed, and I could calm myself down after that, simply focused on keeping her away from Eggman's clutches.

At least, until she spoke to me.

"Um…" she began softly, as if she was unsure as how to address me. "…why are you helping me?"

_Hmph, I wouldn't question assistance…!_

I just glanced at her and gave her a quick grin. "No special reason."

She looked a bit stunned at that, but what could I say? She was in trouble, I helped her. S'what I do.

"…so, Your Highness, what's your name, anyway?" I asked, still whisking her away through the city in the dead of night. She glanced up at me and replied in a small whisper.

"Elise…"

"Elise? Huh, that's a nice name," I stated truthfully. "So, um, Princess Elise or Your Majesty or-"

Elise started to correct me, but something clicked in her mind and she relaxed again.

"You can just call me Elise…" she trailed, a bit conservative in the way she spoke. "It'll be nice not having to be constantly reminded that I'm royalty."

I couldn't help but crack a grin. "Well, all right then! I'm not much for formalities or fancy titles myself, so you can just call me Sonic!"

Elise nodded. "Certainly, Sonic."

"So, anyway…" I began, dashing the streets and constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure we weren't being followed. "Are you normally this shy, or am I just a special case?"

"Wh-what…?"

I smirked. "Well, when you were giving that speech earlier, you were so full of confidence and life, and that was in front of thousands of people…!"

Elise gripped something in her hand and shrugged. "It's just…I've never met anyone like you, and it's a lot to take at once…I never seen someone gallivant into danger like that! Someone who moved that fast! Someone…who thought of me in the midst of destruction…"

"You put me on too high of a pedestal," I chuckled, shaking my head. "When you get to know me, maybe you'll find that I'm not much different from you!"

"For some reason I doubt that," she said coyly. Eh, she'd find out eventually.

I then took a daring leap from one side of the river to the other, sailing through the air until I landed on the solid ground of the other side. I could feel her breath hitch against me when I initially took off, and she released the breath she'd been holding once we landed.

_Oh goodness, if THAT made her flinch, then she hadn't seen anything yet!_

"Sonic!" she suddenly squeaked, and I snapped to attention. I braked to a stop when we found ourselves cut off by Eggman's seemingly endless supply of drones. Seriously, the guy had _far_ too much spare time…he needed a hobby. Like, Sudoku or something.

I set her down carefully before running toward the robots, casually throwing myself into the one closest to me and landing in between two. One went to shoot me; I leapt up and allowed it to hit its comrade instead. I then came crashing back down on that one, followed by homing attacking any that remained.

I landed with a knee and a hand on the ground, creating a stir of wind with my dismount. The princess could only watch in awe, the wind of my landing brushing her dress and wafting through her hair. I turned to ask her if she was impressed, only to find her snatched up by Eggman.

_All my previous efforts, gone to waste in that single moment…_

"I'm afraid our little game ends now," Eggman said stoically, staring down at me with an emotionless expression. He said nothing more after that, opting to get away while he had his prize and before I could interfere anymore. I was ready to sprint after him, until I caught Elise squirming in the clutches of her entrapment, freeing herself just enough to toss something at me.

"Sonic, take this!"

Something blue and shiny came cascading down toward me; I lifted my hand and caught it flawlessly, finding that it was a Chaos Emerald. I stared at it with surprise, stunned not only at the fact that the princess had one, but also the fact that she knew to keep it from Eggman!

"…huh, I guess there's more to that girl that I thought," I chuckled under my breath, tossing the Emerald in my hand.

I then saw that Eggman was almost out of earshot, so I hurried and called out to her.

"I've got it! And don't worry, I'll rescue you…!"

And I'm not known for breaking my promises.

Eggman had seen Elise's move and simply sneered, casting his hand out. "…it's only a matter of time before its mine. Until then, you can hold onto it for me!"

_As if._

Eggman and Elise departed into his carrier, leaving me left on the ground with no way to reach them. I was left to watch them careen across the sky, leaving me with nothing but a lone emerald dangling in my hand…

_I…I'm really in for it this time, aren't I?_

* * *

**You have no idea, Sonic. Anyway, next chapter starts my favorite trend of Sonic despising pointless side missions and things in the plot that lead him to nowhere! And also Tails makes an apperance, which is always awesome. :D**


	2. Memories of the Search

We Both Remember

Chapter 1: Memories of the Search

The next morning, I was wandering the streets of Soleanna. Normally, I would've been on Eggman's heels and taunting him all the while, but seeing as I was in foreign territory, that wasn't exactly a smart option. While getting lost was usually on my agenda during adventures, Elise's safety was at stake, and I didn't want my carelessness to tip the scales against her in case she was in some volcano base and I was searching through a cave.

_So my best course of action was to ask around for help, and as proven in the past…many, _many_ humans weren't very reliable. _

Don't get me wrong- I love people, and I love meeting new people, but I get frustrated when people are incompetent just as much as the next guy! A few I talked to hadn't even _known_ about Eggman's attack, despite the fact it took place during Soleanna's most important event, and others didn't believe me when I said that their princess was missing!

_Honestly._

"Urgh…" I groaned to myself, having barely slept after stressing about what Eggman had done with Elise. I knew he obviously wanted something from her, and she was willful enough to not let him have it, but for how long? I couldn't just hope they'd settled down for a tea party while I came up with an idea. I needed to take action! …I just didn't know what action to take.

However, small miracles being what they were, I happened to run into someone who I knew for sure knew what they were doing.

"Sonic!" he called out to me. I was so busy sprinting through the streets completely beside myself that I had almost rushed right by him. I braked instantly and flashed a grin as my best friend descended from the sky, waving at me eagerly.

"Tails! Long time no see!"

He landed on the ground and flounced over to me. "I'm so glad you're here! I heard you tried to save Soleanna's princess from Eggman!"

"Yes, I did!" I exclaimed, folding my arms. "That already puts you several paces ahead of most of the citizens I've talked to today…"

"You're going to rescue her, aren't you?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Of course. I gave her my promise."

Tails beamed at this and clenched his fists determinedly. "Then let me help! I may not know what Eggman's up to, but I know it can't be a good thing!"

"I don't know much about it either, kiddo, but I'll tell you what I do know on the way," I chuckled, giving him a thumbs up. "With your help though, this should be a piece of cake!"

I careened off again, still not knowing where I was going, but now that I knew Tails had my back, I was already feeling that much more confident. He probably had a different perspective on the situation than I did, and that alone was more than enough to give me assistance.

Tails stood and watched me run off, laughing as he hurried to follow after me. "I'll do my best, Sonic!"

Once he caught up behind me, I started running backwards, lacing my hands behind my head.

"So, Tails, it HAS been awhile; what brought you to Soleanna?"

"I actually just got here this morning," Tails admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I was actually in the middle of shopping for a gift for you when I heard about what happened in the Festival last night…I kinda wish I'd been there; to see the festival AND to help you out."

"No worries, Tails, everything will be all right," I assured, waving it off. "You're here now, and aside from a kidnapped princess and several severely burned buildings, Eggman really didn't do that much damage. All we have to do is find him!"

"You make it sound so easy," Tails scoffed, shaking his head. I turned myself back around as we started heading down a sidewalk full of people.

"Well, Eggman's never been subtle in the way he does things, and last night certainly wasn't an exception," I explained. "Aw, you should've seen it! Explosions! Missiles! Robot smashing! I was the one in the middle of it all and I barely believe it!"

I was clearly still reeling in the adrenaline of the whole situation; that was one of Eggman's most direct assaults _ever_, and just surviving through it was enough of a rush to keep me going for a week.

"That sounds so cool!" Tails cried, my excitement apparently becoming contagious. "That does it! I'm not missing anything exciting ever again!"

"That's a tall order Tails, but if you're willing to work toward it, more power to you!" I exclaimed. I then gained a coy look and nudged my midair buddy. "So, ahem, you mentioned a certain gift for me…?"

Tails smacked his forehead, as he'd completely forgotten about it despite speaking of it only a few moments ago.

"Well, I WAS going to bring them back to you as a souvenir from Soleanna, but seeing as you're here and you know I have them…I might as well give them to you," Tails hummed, revealing his gift at long last.

I actually couldn't fathom what Tails could've possibly bought for me, but when he produced a pair of brand new shoes, I couldn't help but break into a grin and swap them out on the spot.

"I got them from an old man, and he called them Custom Shoes," Tails explained. "Apparently you can buy gems from the store and customize your abilities or something of the sort…"

"Heh, that's pretty nifty!" I exclaimed, trying them out and showing them off. "…they look just like my usual ones though. I wouldn't have minded another pair of soap shoes-"

"You outgrew those, Sonic," Tails exasperated, shaking his head. "Remarkably fast, I might add."

"Hey, those were the shoes I stopped the ARK with; they were important to me," I huffed, folding my arms. I glanced down at my new shoes and found myself smiling again. "…but I like these ones too. They're just right for me."

"They're not Custom Shoes for nothing!" Tails exclaimed. "Aside from the stones, the whole style was customizable, so I modeled them after your old ones. I didn't know you were still sensitive about your soaps though-"

"Thank you, Tails," I stated, pulling him into a quick hug before beckoning him to keep moving. "With these new shoes, maybe we'll find Eggman even faster!"

"Uh, maybe you should test them out and make sure they really do work out for you," Tails suggested, nervously poking his fingers together. "I'd hate for something to go wrong at the last second."

"They're just shoes, Tails!" I assured, waving him off. "Not like my buckles are going to randomly fly off…but if it makes you feel better, how's about I race around the block?"

Tails held up his hands defensively. "I just want you to break them in before-"

"On it!" I called over my shoulder, barreling off in the blink of an eye. Many civilians walking by could only gape as I vanished in the instant, with Tails being left where he was shaking his head with a smile.

To be perfectly honest, the shoes felt exactly like my old ones, with the exception of the small unnoticeable holes for those 'stones' Tails had talked about. I was thinking about trying one out, just to see if they really did make a difference like he claimed. But for the moment, the shoes worked out pretty well for me, hardly even showing signs of wear with the way I tore through the concrete streets. I even jumped on a spring, launched over a tree, and landed on my feet from a very tall height.

"Not bad!" I simpered, admiring my new kicks. "…and still brand shiny new! That was incredible!"

As I was feeling pretty assured about things, Tails returned to my side with good news and something in his hand.

"Guess what, Sonic?" he asked, and I didn't even have the chance to reply. "I already got a new gem for your shoes! They'll increase the power of your Light Speed Dash!"

Tails tossed the gems to me and I caught them between two fingers, already fixing to put them in my shoes.

"That's great Tails! But it looks like you're dying to tell me something else."

Tails nodded rapidly and pointed off into the distance. I followed where his hand was pointing, discovering it was gesturing toward the beach, and the bright ocean whose waves washed over it.

"Some of the citizens were talking about seeing Eggman's battleship heading in that direction…we finally have a lead!"

"And it's the only one we've got too," I added, punching a fist into my palm. "Let's head to Wave Ocean!"

Tails already started jogging off. "The nearest entrance from here is via a cave just a ways across the water-"

I cringed.

"-but you can Light Speed Dash over there no problem!"

"Then let's get to it!" I exclaimed eagerly, relieved at the alternate route there. I couldn't wait to see what this beach looked like….and with any luck, I'd have the princess back home before lunchtime.

. . .

"I've got to hurry and save Elise…"

Wave Ocean was a pristine idealistic beach paradise, with colorful umbrellas adorning the shoreline and to soft waves washing over the sands. The salt of the ocean wafted through the gentle summer-like breeze, giving a special flavor to the day… It was clear that Wave Ocean was the kind of place that made you want to take a vacation, but with time against me at the moment, there was no time to relax.

"Do you have him on radar, Tails?" I asked, glanced up at him flying and fiddling with his communicator at the same time.

"Not exactly. I have his readings, meaning he did come this way, but he might be out of my range…"

"Eh, no problem! Looking around for a bit can't hurt," I suggested, picking up my speed as I barreled through the sand and ran through rock formations.

The day would've been like any other, and the weather was perfect for a run, but seeing as there was a princess I'd given my promise to, I couldn't deviate too much...

…_but there was nothing wrong with deviating a _little.

Tails a looking a little stressed as he fiddled with his communicator, so I grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from him, smiling and shaking my head.

"Don't bury your nose in that thing, little buddy! Good ol' fashioned instinct will help us find Eggman!"

He gave me a slightly skeptical look. "But we don't know the first thing about Soleanna's geography…or anything about it at that."

"And that's what the thrill of adventure is for!" I exclaimed, running a little faster and tugging Tails along behind me. "You can keep an eye on that thing, but please…don't take this_ too_ seriously, m'kay?"

I spread out my hand, casting it over the horizon ahead of us.

"This is the start of a potentially great day…and we're in the front seat of a brand new adventure!"

Tails finally smirked and wrestled out of my grip, flying just over my shoulder. "All right, all right! You only had to tell me once!"

I grinned and saluted him, now taking off at a full sprint. "Well then, let's get to it!"

We both found ourselves soaring out over the water, Tails cruising over it by flying and me dashing across it, using my speed to my advantage. Normally I didn't like running on water, but today I was feeling a little daring, and I had to say, the experience was exhilarating!

_Plus, if I fell in or something, I knew Tails had my back._

So I spread out my arms and threw my head back, letting out a wild yell into the winds of the morning. The fact that I was in foreign lands and doing what I love was more than enough to brighten my spirits, and also got me to take my mind off of how concerned I was for Elise's safety.

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed, pulling me from my bliss. He reached his hand down, and I instantly knew what that signaled, as I reached up and latched my hand onto his wrist. He then lifted us both away from the water with relative ease, whisking us to a dock of sorts that lead to the far side of the beach. Upon landing, my legs took off again, my footfalls hitting the docks in a perfect rhythm and making a sort of beat as I ran. Tails kept up by flying overhead, enjoying himself but also keeping an eye out for anything out of place.

It was hard for me to keep an eye on anything specific as I was too busy trying to get an eyeful of the scenery, because I knew I couldn't stay here forever, and I wanted to remember as much of Soleanna as I possibly could. This was my first step toward seeing the world…and I wanted to revel in it.

It was then that Tails suddenly veered sharply to the left, dodging as the dock ahead of us ran out and led to another beach of sorts. Three of Eggman's drones were patrolling the area and started shooting on the spot. I yelped and fell knees first into the sand, sliding right under the bullet fire.

"Well, these are new," I mused, springing back to my feet and curling into a ball. "They kinda look like the ones I fought last night…"

"Really?" Tails asked, jumping on top of two of them and shattering them instantly. "They are pretty unstable…"

"Guess Eggman's running out of quality materials to make his robots out of," I suggested, spin dashing straight through the final one and carrying on my way.

I wall jumped up the sides of a cliff, making my way up to a light house. I grinded on the railing before sliding down a wire that steamed off of it. I leapt off, with Tails grabbing me and tossing me through a rainbow loop, helping me build power to homing attack through two midair drones that were getting ready to fire at me.

"Whoa, look at all the sailboats!" Tails commented as I turned the drones to shrapnel, distracted by the colorful sails all the boats had. They dotted the water like lights on a Christmas tree, and were a stark contrast to the endless blue ocean that surrounded us. Tails was fascinated by the postcard worthy sight; I was too busy trying to land on the dock below us.

"Careful," I called out, grabbing Tails' wrist just before he toppled off the edge. "I know the sight is mesmerizing, but you can't let it capture ya!"

"Sorry," Tails chuckled abashedly, rubbing the back of his head as he straightened himself out. "But how do you do it, Sonic? Running through all these places and never finding yourself lost in the beauty of it all?"

"I'm not perfect- I get distracted by wonders all the time, so I certainly can't fault YOU for it," I laughed, my footsteps making a rhythmic sound as I dashed over the dock. "In the end, I like that your mesmerized by it- even a tech wiz like you knows how to appreciate nature, which I can respect."

Tails beamed at the prospect, twirling higher into the air with his arms spread out and his soul feeling free.

"I wish I could do this sort of thing every day, but I can't travel constantly like you can…"

I just smiled and rushed off the dock, ricocheting off two palm trees and running toward a cliff outcropping in the sand.

"Do what you can, when you can, buddy!"

We cruised along the edge of the beach for a while, Tails sneaking glances at his communicator every now and then. He tried to deduce what direction Eggman had gone in, but I had the lurking suspicion that he was in the direction of his trail of robots. Two more advanced drones were lurking around the beach, and had instantly turned our way the moment we ran by.

"Those Vulcan Cannon shots won't hurt us individually, but they can really cut down on our rings," Tails explained, standing his ground. I turned my gazes to the foes before us; they had started shooting long ago but I was still too fast for them to hit. Waves of sand took to the air as I furiously dodged the shots; whether they would've hurt or not, I wasn't risking any rings!

Tails shielded himself as I tore into the drones, their pieces scattering everywhere with the velocity I attacked them with. He brushed off any debris clinging to his fur before bending down and inspecting a piece closer.

"Huh…looks like some sort of transmitting device…" he trailed, scratching his ear. "I think it can only _receive_ messages though- that's strange."

He looked up, glancing around for me, but all he caught was a streak of blue tearing down the side of a cliff wall. Tails pursed his lips and took off for the air, twirling his tails in an eager attempt to catch up with me.

"Now THIS is how I like to spend a day at the beach!" I exclaimed, grabbing a robot by the shoulders, speedily spinning around, and hurling it into the ocean. I was surrounded by a ton of them, but seeing as they posed little threat, I was hardly worried, plowing and smashing into them with a spring in my step.

"Sonic!" Tails called, waving to me as he flew back over. "There's one robot giving orders to all the other ones! If you defeat that one first, all the others will go down with it!"

I hadn't even realized that, but now that Tails had pointed it out, the drones were lined up in a pretty strategic pattern…with a slightly bigger drone in the middle. I noticed the drones suddenly shift position, aiming their guns at me, and I only smirked in retaliation.

"Ha ha, you're kidding me…as if I can't get to your leader without getting hit," I scoffed, leaning backward as a shot sailed straight over my head. "You're not exactly the toughest barricade I've ever faced…"

I backflipped, kicking sand at the approaching drones to hinder them before circling back around to launch an attack from behind. The leader wasted no time in taking aim with his cannons, but I slid along the ground to evade. I then sprung back up and drove my foot through its head, shattering it on the spot and causing all the surrounding drones to drop to the ground and explode on the spot. I whistled as Tails hovered back over to my side.

"Well, that was neat!"

I scratched my nose. "I agree, although I think I got sand in my eyes…"

"In any case, we should keep heading this way." Tails gestured towards the north, where there didn't appear to be anything but a bunch of water, but if Tails thought that was right…

"Then what are we waiting for?" I asked, bounding ahead and jumping off a spring lying in the middle of the path. Tails and I ricocheted off spring after spring, each one of them placed ideally along the sides of the cliff, allowing for quick passage across the ocean.

_However, an even quicker passage would be for me to run across it!_

"WOO HOO!" I yelled into the sky, Tails taken completely back as I launched off the latest spring, throwing myself at a rather long wall of rock. I ran straight up the thing, going at almost my top speed, the wind whistling though my quills…before I took a U-turn at the top, sprinting straight down at the water with my hands in the air. I didn't even have to look to know that Tails thought I had lost my mind, but once I hit the water and started dashing cross it, he knew exactly what I was going to do.

"Yeah!"

I surfed across the waves of the ocean, skidding left and right with enough momentum to not lose my speed. Tails just laughed and followed closely behind me while I enjoyed my makeshift surfing.

_Because how many people can surf without using a board, huh?_

I was coasting well enough across the water, a light spray sprinkling onto my face and giving me refreshing cool down from the assailing heat of the sun. However, even with my coasting, I felt a sudden disturbance in the water, noticing that the water was suddenly becoming greater in size. Then, all of a sudden, a giant orca emerged out of the water, and I was forced to start running if I didn't want to find myself sinking like a rock.

"Whoa, that's a big one," I hummed, struggling to keep up my speed with the crashing waves the whale was making. "At least it's not destroying stuff this time…!"

_And at least I wasn't running on the "stuff" that was being destroyed this time, at that._

The orca started thrashing against some of the stone spires jetting out of the ocean, knocking then down with a single swing of its tail.

"So I stand corrected…giant pillars of rocks falling are way worse than breaking a dock!"

This was causing even more of a disturbance in the water, and I found myself literally jumping over waves in an attempt to stay above. The orca was relentless, and unless it was getting revenge for its cousin that I dealt with over a year ago, I had no idea_ why_ it was going after me.

Just as soon as I thought I'd be sunk, I came across a lone piece of dock with a boost ramp on it. I quickly drifted across the water and changed my direction, running toward it with as much speed as I could gather. I raced across the boost ramp and launched myself into the air, at the exact same time the orca jumped up to hit me. Cringing, I barely managed to avoid being struck by the rail, my hand brushing across its smooth wet body before I landed on a nearby dock and started running again.

"Ah, and here comes the de ja vu," I hummed.

The orca swooped up and down in the water, trying to destroy the dock before I could escape but being too slow at every turn. Its fin certainly didn't LOOK that sharp, but it was tearing through the wooden structure like a hot knife through butter…and I was pretty concerned.

_Especially when the whale managed to get just what it wanted._

"Jump, JUMP!" I yelled to myself, watching as the planks and boards before me were suddenly hurled into the air by a definitive strike from the whale. I spiraled aimlessly before targeting the planks, homing attacking each one in quick succession to try and avoid belly flopping into the ocean.

_If I hit that water, that'd be the end of me!_

In a desperate ditch-effort move, I found myself falling towards the whale; the whale itself seemed pleased at the chaos it caused. Grimacing, I tried to get myself as close to the whale as I could, grabbing onto the tip of its back fin the very moment I had the change.

It let out a loud, high pitched whine at this, thrashing about trying to get me off. The water splashed against me and certainly didn't help my grip, but if I was going to be a whale rodeo clown for this insane creature…then so be it, because I was NOT letting go!

"…where the heck did Tails go?!" I cried over the sound the rushing water. I tried to look around for him, but my line of sight kept changing with how hard the orca was trying to get me off of its back.

"I'm way ahead of you, Sonic!"

_Ah, a voice of sweet relief._

Finally, Tails flew back onto the scene, bypassing me and heading for the dock that hadn't been destroyed yet. He started running along it and yelled something at me.

"I found a gate large enough to fence the whale off, but it's closed!" he called, running as fast as he could, even with his tails propelling him along. "Try to steer it in that direction!"

"I'll try," I called back. "You just go ahead and push the gate switch so it doesn't get out!"

"I'll do my best!" Tails promised, hurrying to find the switch itself. "Okay, I'll be right back!"

**S-T**

As I hurried to find the switch to open the gate I could see Sonic struggling with the whale in the distance, and knowing his history with both water AND whales, I knew time was of the essence. I was personally wondering why the gate switch hadn't been placed closer to the gate itself, but I wasn't entirely familiar with Soleanna's technology designs, so I kinda had no right to question it. Right then, Sonic needed my help, and I was going to give it to him!

There were a few small islands around where the gate was, and I had a feeling the switch MUST'VE been on one of them. I twirled my tails and flew myself over to the second island, getting hit with a giant wave caused by the whale taking a giant dive back into the water.

"Sonic-"

"Sonic speed, Tails! I'm going to drown in_ midair_ at this rate!"

Another huge wave swept over us, and I really knew that ride couldn't have been that enjoyable for Sonic, whether or not "whale rodeo" fit squarely into his idea of fun.

"Maybe if I get a higher look," I suggested to myself, jumping off the ground and soaring over to one of the remaining rocks formations that hadn't been destroyed by the whale, using it as a vantage point…with the advantage of not getting my fur wet.

"Okay, there's the gate over there," I mused, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand and trying to get a better look at the area. "…and of course, there's a bunch of robots where the switch should be. Nothing's ever easy…"

Regardless, I now knew where the switch was, and all I could do for Sonic now was get there in time and hope he had the whale ready to charge the moment the gate flew open. I stepped off the rock and fell for a bit, before spinning my tails and taking off straight toward the place where the switch was. Unfortunately, my tails gave out after a time, and I was lucky enough to land on the part of the beach near enough to the switch. My plummet reminded me of the several times I had been in a plane crash, but this time it was just me and my body ramming into the ground…so thankfully I wasn't that high!

_I was a little less thankful that I looked up to find a dozen drones lifting their blasters at me._

"Hey!" I yipped, scrambling clumsily out of the way before getting hit. I distanced myself from the drones and took out one of my homemade bombs, chucking it at the nearest group of robots. Sonic was never a fan of weapons, and even while he loved fighting, he always preferred avoid confrontation if he could, and I tried to uphold that mindset myself. But when you had a technical mind like mine, and weren't as physical strong as the next guy (but that's just because I'm only nine- I'll get that muscle-building growth spurt yet!), you had to find another way to defend yourself…and weapons were the only way I knew how, even when I was younger…

Of course, the bombs were actually more of a pretty recent invention. I was far more partial to blasters of all sorts, or my battle mech of my old biplane -and I'm still trying to perfect my Tornado-1 before giving it a test run this time- but the bombs were the only thing I had on hand, and they were working quite effectively.

I started running down the beach, taking aim at any drones in the distance before they could do the same to me. Destroying robot after robot…it reminded me of my curiosity as to what Eggman could've possibly been planning for the world this time, but if it had to do with assaulting an entirely different country…then it didn't leave a very good feeling in my stomach.

Sonic, I knew, was far more concerned with the safety of his new princess friend. I hadn't met her yet, but she seemed nice enough from what little Sonic had said- I'd have to ask more about her- and I agreed that her safety was important…I just wanted to know what role she played in Eggman's grand scheme of things.

_As usual, I'd probably be making sure to keep Sonic's priorities in check…_

Even after I cleared the beach of drones, something was still shooting at me, and the switch was nowhere to be seen. I then looked up, following the trajectory of the shot and finding a trio of robots perched at the top of a rock formation. They were standing atop a suspicious-looking group of crates, and I had the sneaking suspicion that the switch was hidden under those crates.

"Get away from there!" I called, hurling a bomb in their direction as I flew up to confront them. Only two of the robots were consumed in the blast- my aim was just a _tad_ off- leaving the one at the top of the crates. It crouched down and adjusted its blasters, trying to shoot me down from out of the air. I swerved to and fro, hurling my own bombs, but all I managed to hit were crates, inadvertently revealing the hiding spot of the switch.

"I just need to get rid of that robot…!"

I alighted on the rock with a bomb at the ready; the drone in front of me had his blaster in prime position, and we were both waiting to see who would make the move first. I was at a disadvantage, knowing I'd get hit before my bomb would go off, so I had to get crafty…

It was waiting for me to make a move- any mistake here could be costly. I could faintly hear Sonic yelling things to the whale as the thrashing got worse, and it was then that I had to make my move.

"Yah!" I shouted, leaping up and hurling my bomb to the right of the robot. It shot at me as soon as I twitched, but because I had jumped, the shot completely missed me. My bomb also missed the robot…but it hit my target dead on.

The bomb struck the switch, opening the large gate just as Sonic guided the whale over. The robot was distracted by the display, so I kicked it off the edge of the rock formation and started to fly out over the ocean, heading straight for Sonic and the whale.

Sonic was gritting his teeth against the wind, his face slightly damp from the sprays of water; evidence of his struggle with the whale. It took all he had to direct the whale toward the gate, and just as the whale swam through, it jumped out of the water once again, its massive tail smacking the gate. Sonic had leapt off just in time, as the gate fell back down into its locked position, separating him from the whale once and for all.

And he found himself falling towards the water.

"Noooooo-!"

"Gotcha!"

I'd made it just in time, latching my hand onto his wrist a few mere moments before he smacked against the water. Sonic's eyes were wide with the fear of how close that had been, but after seeing that I had his back, he smiled and threw a thumbs up in my direction.

"Thank you, Tails. You saved me!"

I returned the gesture and couldn't help but grin like a fool. "No problem, Sonic! Always happy to help!"

Sonic chuckled afterward, shaking his head as I brought us both back to shore. "Man, where were you the last time I had a run in with a whale?"

"Um, I think I was in the middle of a plane wreck on Emerald Coast…?" I hummed, rolling my eyes. "Sorry I was a little held up at the time."

"Speaking of plane wrecks…" Sonic suddenly trailed, pointing up at the sky. I followed where he was pointing to and instantly cringed. "…I think I found what we were looking for."

Eggman's air craft was just overhead.

**T-S**

As soon as we were over the beach, I had Tails release me, knowing that I was going to have to start running at my top speed instantly if I wanted any chance of catching up with the carrier. Elise was somewhere inside, and I promised I'd save her…!

"Darn, we're not going to catch up…!" I huffed to myself, slowing down and hanging my head. "…let's speed up!"

I kneeled on one knee and put my hands to the ground, closing my eyes and preparing to push myself to my very limits… Tails knew what I was about to do, so he fell back, leaving me free to run without restraint.

"Here we…"

I adjusted myself, getting ready to push off.

"GO!"

A boom burst out from behind me as I ran off, sand spraying into the air at a ridiculous height. The once clear blue day became one giant blur as I soared across the beach. I was closing in on the carrier instantly, but if I was going to have any chance of catching up with it, I couldn't hit ANYTHING.

_And I mean, ANYTHING. I could barely hit AIR._

One little slip up could have me careening into the ocean- that's how precise I had to be.

I darted my way around spike balls scattered about the beach, weaved through dock support beams, and prayed I wouldn't trip over any rocks. I rushed across a boot ramp and propelled myself into the air at record speed, but I was still too far away and too low to really reach the carrier. I was lucky enough to clear a boardwalk, but I skimmed against an outcropping which hindered my speed considerably.

"No!"

I worked to build it up again, making up for lost time. There was no way Eggman could outfly me, no way he could get away…right?

The carrier was dropping drones left and right, and I didn't have the time to fight them; I was forced to leap over them and pray I wouldn't trip myself up. I got through them pretty easily, finding myself navigating a dock again. I hit another boost ramp at the end of it, this time getting much more air…but I still wasn't quite close enough to reach.

"Gah…!"

I could only reach out as I fell out of the air, barely managing to land on my feet and get to running again. I was closer than ever now, and if I let this chance slip away, I didn't know what I'd be able to do next…

I was almost out of the beach now, noticing the sands being replaced by long grasses and tall palm trees and my view of the ocean being barricaded by tall cliff walls. Eggman's drones came flying back down at me, and with the path I was taking now, there was barely any room to avoid them. I was honestly surprised I hadn't smacked into some sort of tree, but I got out of the forest relatively unscathed, and it was back to the beach for me.

"I'm so close…"

I just needed enough leverage to jump up there, and also to get close enough…but every time it was within my reach, it'd somehow just barely managed to slip my grasp! I even ran through a cliff formation that was shaped like a spiral, and even with the ramp at the end of that…I STILL couldn't reach it!

"ARGH!"

I landed side first into the sand, making a huge skid mark where I alighted before rolling onto my back, watching Eggman's carrier drift across the sky and disappear over the cliffs. I had no idea where he was going, nor did I know what he was going to do when he got there, but right now…I only knew that I'd failed to catch up with him.

"Eggmaaaaan…" I moaned, coughing up sand and desperately trying to dust myself off. There was no way I could catch him now; he could fly and I couldn't and there were way too many obstacles between me and him for me to give chase again…

_But I couldn't give up on Elise, like how I'd never give up on anybody._

I just stood and watched them leave, with Tails finally catching up to me and realizing what had happened when he got there. He could only stand beside me and give me silent comfort, just as a single white feather drifted down from the sky, bathed in sunlight and looking delicate as it fell. It landed softly on the ground, and I picked it up, holding it gingerly in my hand. Tails was still watching the sky, his tongue in his cheek.

"Looks like the princess was moved to another location," he hummed. "Let's head back to the city and think of a new plan of action, okay?"

Tails was eager, as though he had already come up with an alternative solution, and hurriedly started sprinting back the way we came. I just glanced at the feather in my hand, hoping that all my efforts in the end wouldn't be in vain, and followed after him- there was no more time to waste…

_And Elise's feather was proof of that. _


	3. Memories of the Retrieval

_**SonicSonic54321:**_ I glad you're enjoying it! It gets so much more fun later on. :D

_**werewolf99**_: While I personally love longer chapters, I don't_ try_ to make long chapters on purpose. I just write what I have to, and if I NEED to split it or make it shorter, then I do. But look at my Colors adaption- rarely does a chapter make it over 4,500 words...compared to I Am All of Me, where every chapter averaged 5k to 8k, give or take. It just depends. :P

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 2: Memories of the Retrieval

So we were back in the city, right back at a square one, and exactly in the same position as I started off my day.

_With no idea what I was supposed to do. _

Tails was trying to cheer me up, despite my assuring him that I was absolutely fine, but I think he knew the fact that I'd missed the carrier was still bugging me. I guess after thinking it over though, it really was nearly impossible for me to catch it in the manner that I tried…

And all we could hope to do now was cut it off before it reached its destination…but I had a feeling that chance was slim.

"This would be so much easier if we were in familiar territory…" I mused to myself as we wandered down the street, once again collecting useless information from the local citizens. "…though I guess that takes away from the intrigue of the adventure."

"I'm just surprised these people aren't in more of an uproar!" Tails exasperated. "I mean, their princess is gone, their town square is in shambles from Eggman's attacks, and they're not doing anything…! For Chaos' sake, there's a birthday party over there-!"

"Tails calm down, questioning the motives of the locals isn't going to get us any closer to finding Elise," I stated, patting him on the head. "As I said earlier, we're just going to have to rely on good old fashion instinct!"

_Even though that "instinct" simply left us empty handed. _

Eventually we found ourselves at the store where Tails had gotten the gems for my shoes, and seeing as we had no leads and nothing better to do at the moment, we jaunted over to check it out.

A man in a yellow shirt was waving his arms around like crazy, and I wasn't sure whether it was to get attention or if it was some sort of muscle spasm medical condition. He was trying to explain how certain "chips" had worked, but it sailed completely over my head while Tails listened intently and eventually bought a Light Chip and something called "Antigravity".

"Thanks for your business!" the man called to us as we walked away, with Tails asking for my shoes and beginning to install them into my soles.

"So, what exactly did you buy?" I asked, now sitting on the edge of the sidewalk looking at my white socks. Tails was sitting next to me putting in the new pieces.

"Just something to improve your Light Speed Dash and give you the ability to attack enemies while moving," Tails stated. I simply raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't do that already…?"

"You know how you had to dodge all those robots and whatnot while you were chasing after the carrier," Tails explained. "This'll help, especially when you slide!"

I just sat and tried to think about this. "Are you sure these things aren't a scam or something…?"

"I guess we'll find out as soon as we get a lead on Elise," Tails murmured. I fell quiet, and Tails caught this instantly. He turned to me, watching as I twirled the feather around through my fingers.

"…what is she like?" he finally asked, and after giving it some thought, I realized I barely knew.

"…she's very dedicated to her people, I know that much," I replied at last, still staring at the feather as if it would give me some sort of clue. "She was smart enough to know not to let Eggman get his hands on the Chaos Emerald, actually…"

I'd forgotten I had it, pulling it out of my quills with my free hand and showing off its blue sheen to Tails. Tails was intrigued by this, but I put it away quickly again before it caught the attention of any of the citizens.

"…I wonder how she got her hands on that," Tails mused.

_Something about it told me I'd get a headache if we questioned it further…_

"Anyway, by the way she spoke to me, I could tell she doesn't get out much," I continued, driving at changing the subject. "She's nice, sure…but I don't think she ever goes very far from her castle, and she was really jumpy when I was escaping with her."

"That's probably the case," stated Tails simply. "She's royalty, Sonic- she's probably can't just talk a stroll in public without a horde of guards following her, and what princess would want to go through with all that hassle?"

"That's horrible…" I murmured, now clutching the feather tighter. "Royalty or not, everyone should be given a chance to see life from a new angle…the world is waiting, and it's up to us to get out there and see what's in store!"

"So what are you doing to do?"

I smirked, tucking the feather away and glancing up at the sky.

"What I do best- gift her with a little slice of life while she's out and about. I have to rescue her first, but the perfect way to celebrate freedom would be a run through her countryside, wouldn't you agree?"

Tails finished working on my shoes and tossed them over to me; I buckled them back onto my feet as he gave me a thumbs up.

"I hope you can make a difference for her, Sonic! You always manage to change the lives of all you meet, you know."

"I can't help that," I said with an aloof shrug, standing back up again. "I'm just that impressionable! Now, let's get back to looking for Elise!"

"Right!"

We had just started to begin our search again, when the sound of crying pounded at my eardrums, and I stopped instantly. Tails had heard it too, and we both tried to find a crying person, until we discovered a woman sobbing at the top of a building.

"What in the world is she doing up there?!" I asked incredulously, shielding my eyes with my hand to get a better look. "Is she stuck or something…?"

"You want me to fly up and ask her?" Tails suggested, but I shook my head and started to run toward a spring that was hiding behind a bush.

"Nah, I got this one," I stated, bouncing off the spring and using it to get the momentum to wall jump up to the roof. When I alighted at the top, I approached the woman cautiously and tapped her on the shoulder. Sobbing her eyes out, she turned and faced me, looking worse for wear.

"…are you okay?" was all I could manage. The woman attempted to wipe her eyes dry and nodded.

"I'm…I'm okay, I'm just a little emotional after that attack last night…" she stammered. I nodded knowingly.

"I almost thought no one really cared what had happened last night; everyone's been so apathetic…"

"Y-yeah," the woman agreed, starting to tear up again. "Everyone thinks it was just a onetime thing, but all those missiles and robots and destruction…it really disturbed me, you know?"

I glanced at my feet and bit my lip. "I can only imagine."

"But I'm sorry if I made you worry…"

"Hey," I stated, smiling and giving her a thumbs up. "If I've got the time to worry, then I got the time to run!"

The ends of her mouth turned up a bit at this, but she became depressed again as she pointed off into the distance.

"I heard Eggman was going to the desert, and I wanted to keep watch from a high place…"

My ears perked up.

"Did you say desert?!"

She nodded.

"Yes…he flew over the beach this morning, en route to the desert…I have no idea what he wants from that dust bowl, but if he decided to come back, I'd be the first to warn to city."

"Well thank you!" I said excitedly, reaching for her hand and shaking it. "You've helped me in more ways that you know!"

The woman just blinked and stared at me.

"Um, I, Uh- you're welcome-"

"What's your name, anyway?"

"Francesca…" the woman responded, brushing her short brown hair out of her face. I started back pedaling off the roof as I winked at her.

"Well, Francesca, soon enough you won't have to cry anymore…because I will bring your princess back, and I WILL take down Eggman in the process!"

Francesca watched as I leapt off the building backwards, halting her tears instantly as she rushed to the edge to see what had happened to me…only to find me running down the street toward the entrance to the desert with Tails flying over my shoulder.

**S-E**

When Eggman finally reached his destination, I only knew that we were somewhere in the ruins of Dusty Desert. I was only knowledgeable on the fact because of my geography studies as child, but I never actually _visited_ them, though their history certainly intrigued me.

_I just didn't think my first visit would result in me being a hostage._

It was cold and silent in the room of the ruins that Eggman had stored me in, and naturally escape was at the forefront of my mind, but his drones patrolled every potential exit, even the skylight that let in the little light that saved me front pure darkness would occasionally be blotted out by the silhouette of a robot. I knew I wasn't strong enough to overtake any of them on my own, and I wasn't dumb enough to hurt myself trying…

So I sat, poised and proper as always, leaning against a pillar and left with nothing but my thoughts. I was desperately lonely, but then again, that wasn't anything different from normal. I tried to stay positive, tried to think of things that made me happy…but that only caused my thoughts to drift into memories of my late father, who had parted from me ten years prior…

His words were strong and confident, and I tried to be the same way anytime I talked; as a way to honor his memory, and as a way to stay close to him. Regardless, his words held more conviction and wisdom that I could ever hope mine would, and even as a seven year old child, my father's words would always ring true in my mind…

"_You're a good girl, Elise…remember, be brave. Don't cry…no matter what happens…"_

I hadn't really felt like crying during my stay in the ruins anyway- I was tired more than anything, spending all night worrying and spending all morning in a state of panic until I was finally released from Eggman's ship. I pushed any desire to cry from my head long ago- I was rarely sad anymore, and in place of that emotion was nothing but numbness, and while some would say they'd rather feel pain than nothing at all… I welcomed the numbness.

_Anything to avoid crying._

I was almost nodding off as I sat around, and I probably would've fallen asleep, had the wall not spontaneously caved in and let it a ton of light that wasn't there before. I was now wide awake, alert at the sudden change of pace, greeted with the pleasant sight of Sonic and his smile. I was up on my feet instantly, getting a rush of adrenaline just by looking at Sonic. Whenever he was around, something big always went down, and this time, I wanted to be ready to go along for the ride.

A two tailed foxed suddenly arrived as well, and he waved both his hands excitedly in my direction. I giggled and waved back, suspecting he was a friend of Sonic's.

"Mister Sonic!" I exclaimed, stepping closer to him out of anticipation. He simply wagged his finger in my direction.

"I told you, just call me Sonic!" he insisted with that firm but friendly tone. "Now then -?"

Before I even knew was I was doing, I had collapsed to my knees and pulled Sonic into a hug. He seemed stunned by the action, as did his friend, and I'm not even sure _why_ I did it…but I felt like I needed to, and I felt so much more secure when I did. Sonic eventually recovered from the shock and pulled away from me a bit, but he didn't let go either, and I kept my hands rested on his shoulders as he spoke again.

"…are you okay?"

"I-I'm so glad you came," I stammered out, relief pouring out of my voice. I had been concerned when I was kidnapped, but not scared…worried yes, but not nervous…

And now I knew why, and that was because I believed in Sonic's promise that he would come for me, and now that he had…

_I was so ridiculously relieved, and I couldn't even attempt to hide it. _

"I always keep my word," Sonic stated confidently, and with the way his friend nodded in the background, I knew it was true. I couldn't help but grin at this, until the mood was rapidly changed by the small fox shouting out Sonic's name. We both turned at the urgency in his tone, and Sonic protectively jumped in front of me with his arms spread out. The atmosphere took a complete turn on its head, with the three of us face to face with a large black and red metallic dog staring us down, and the only thing keeping us separated was a metallic gate.

"It looks like a pesky rat has stuck its nose where it doesn't belong…"

I glanced down and sensed Sonic tense up at the voice; his quills became rigid and his stance crouched as Doctor Eggman entered the room, not looking the slightest bit perturbed by Sonic's appearance. It was almost as if he'd expected it, and with how often Sonic apparently foiled his plans, I wasn't surprised either.

Still, his stance was a tad intimidating, and I couldn't get a read off of Sonic aside from his change in appearance.

"I'm NOT a rat," he sneered, and Eggman simply adjusted his glasses callously.

"Fine, or a hedgehog, to be more precise…"

Eggman then pointed forward and frowned, his gazed locked directly onto me, and it was made all the more nerve-wracking by the fact that I couldn't see his eyes themselves. Knowing someone was looking at you but not seeing what they were looking at you with…it sent a chill up my spine.

"The princess is mine until I unlock the secret of the Flames of Disaster!"

"Tails!" Sonic barked, becoming even more defensive of me. Tails, as was his friend's name, quickly went on the defensive as well.

"Got it! Let's go!"

Eggman simply huffed and opened the gates where his creation rested, making his way into the cockpit of the machine and reaching for the control. Sonic grabbed me and hurried back above ground, with Tails right at his heels.

"Sonic, what's going on?!" I asked, struggling to keep the panic out of my voice.

Sonic just winked at me and placed me in an area that he assumed would be safe for the time being.

"If you thought my fighting was cool before, wait until you see me tackle the big guys!"

I found myself standing at the top of an arena of sorts, watching as Sonic and Tails bounded their way to the middle of it all where Eggman was waiting with his fiendish creation. I could hardly make out what it was, other than the fact that it had the shape of the dog…but that didn't make it any less threatening.

"I'll take care of you NOW!" Eggman boomed, revving up his creation. "A late breakfast for my pet, the Egg Cerberus!"

"Oh, come ON!" I heard Sonic exclaim, groaning at the name. "We've gone over this before: just because you built something doesn't mean you have to put the word 'egg' into it! Although, I guess we're still waiting on the Egg Salmon, I suppose-"

"Oh can it, worthless pin cushion! I'll show you that making fun of the names for my creations is a waste of time!"

"The _names _for your creations are a waste of time! They all end up the same anyway: SCRAP!"

The Egg Cerberus let out a mechanical roar toward the setting sun, and while I uncontrollably trembled a bit, Sonic remained stoic and calm, and even a little cocky.

"This is your pet, huh? Okay, Eggman I'll play with him!"

"Do you know what you're doing, Sonic?" Tails asked, remaining in the air behind Sonic. Sonic just waved a hand over his shoulder and made his way over to Cerberus.

"Not a clue, but I'll find out eventually!"

I saw Tails roll his eyes, but other than that, he seemed on board with Sonic's plan for winging it. I could only stand on the sidelines and hope that he wouldn't get hurt, and yet…something in me told me that he'd be fine.

Cerberus thrashed into the walls of the ruined coliseum, ruining them even more by causing chunks of ancient pictures to crumble and fall to the ground. The disintegrated pillars scattered about the edge of the arena also shared a similar fate, and I realized that Eggman was trying to crush Sonic beneath the rubble.

But Sonic was just as quick and resilient as he was last night, deftly dodging around the shattered pillars and broken walls with finesse, and Tails was no slouch either, flying around the obstacles like it was choreographed. Sonic even managed to leap up and kick a piece of the rubble at Cerberus, taunting it and causing it to roar in protest. Cerberus suddenly braked to a stop, and I saw that familiar twinkle in Sonic's eyes as he seized the opportunity, targeting Cerberus' tail, grinding up to his back, and latching onto the long piece that jetted out of its head. Tails suddenly looked excited at the turn of events, and I was admittedly intrigued too.

"Sonic! It's just like riding the whale back at Wave Ocean!" he shouted. "Make it run into something!"

_Wait, Sonic rode a whale…?!_

I could see Sonic smirking all the way from where I was standing, as if an idea had formed in his mind and his smile was how he expressed it.

"Yeah, now we're talking…!"

He forced Cerberus to turn and run straight at a section of the wall that had a picture carved into it- it was one of the only places that was still intact from Cerberus' previous romp. Even after Sonic made it ram head first into the wall, the wall didn't crack or anything!

_Yet the same couldn't be said for Cerberus._

Sonic jumped quickly away as Cerberus gained a ton of damage from the strong blow, and I found myself clapping and cheering for Sonic exuberantly. He heard my celebrating and sent a grin in my direction, then quickly returned his attention back to Cerberus.

"Okay Tails, what's our next move?" he asked, and Tails simply gestured to Cerberus.

"The only way to truly damage it is to ram it into the wall, so I guess you're just going to have to repeat what you just did!"

"Ugh, repetition- how boring!"

_Oh, how I could agree…_

He then darted to the middle of the arena and proceeded to taunt Cerberus by pulling his eyelid down and sticking out his tongue.

"Hey, Dog Breath! If you want me, come and get me!"

I couldn't help but laugh as Eggman disgruntled hiss emerged from Cerberus' cockpit. Sonic lured him toward a pillar, then danced out of the way as Cerberus crashed into it.

"Oh, sorry pal- I'm nobody's chew toy!"

Tails was next up, catching Cerberus' attention and driving at Tails next. Eggman inside actually seemed to be against this, trying to get Cerberus to listen to him.

"Don't waste time with the orange one; it's the blue one we want!"

"Looks like your pooch is colorblind, Egg head!" Tails taunted, causing Cerberus to bark and run forward again.

Sonic on the sidelines was smirking again, holding up a large piece of wall in his hand and waiting for Tails to run by him. I watched with wide eyes as he started to spin around, gaining enough speed and momentum to toss the chunk right into the path of Cerberus, who didn't see it coming and ended up tripping over his own two feet. Tails flashed a thumbs up as Sonic snickered, grinding up Cerberus' tail and grabbing onto the antenna.

"Now's the time to teach you a new trick!"

With that, he drove Cerberus into the wall again, and this time the impact was hard enough to break the covering over Cerberus' face and revealing what was underneath. Sonic seemed pleased, back flipping away once again and dismounting on his feet.

"Hey, I can finally see your face! Now it's my turn!"

"Yes, go Sonic!" I called from my little spot, pumping my fist in the air.

It was so exhilarating, watching the battle like this…with the way Sonic moved, it was almost as though I was right next to him as he did his fancy spins and dashes, his strong punches and kicks, and his verbal taunts rang so loud and clear you'd think you were standing just behind him.

The way he took on a foe several times his size without breaking a sweat was admirable, and it came so naturally…I wondered if he faced every problem of his with such an attitude, getting right in its face and shying away for nothing, standing his ground and doing whatever it took to get through it…!

_Why did he have to be so impressive?_

My thoughts were cut off when Cerberus suddenly leapt out of the arena and up next to me, and it would've crushed me had I not scrambled out of the way. It made a horrendous ruckus with the way it thrashed around, and Eggman inside was not happy with the turn of events.

"Why can't you learn to just stay out of the way, you meddlesome hedgehog!?" he barked, and Sonic simply tugged on his gloves.

"Well gee Eggman, why can't you learn to keep your big pink nose out of trouble where it doesn't belong?!"

Cerberus roared in place of Eggman, and I ducked as it leapt over my head, charging headlong back into the fray. When it landed, it caused a shockwave that coursed throughout the arena. Tails grabbed Sonic and lifted him out of harm's way, and that glint danced across Sonic's emerald gaze once again.

"Blast away!"

I blinked as Tails suddenly tossed Sonic a little higher, with Sonic curling into a ball afterward. Sonic came cascading back down, just as Tails gave Sonic a huge kick that sent him flying straight at the head of Cerberus from all the way across the arena.

"Not today, hedgehog!" Eggman jeered, opening Cerberus' mouth so that Sonic landed straight into it. Sonic couldn't see it coming, but Tails did. He tried moving closer to intervene, but there was no way he could close the distance in time. Cerberus was standing just under me, and I called out to Sonic, but he couldn't stop himself in midair this time…

"Gah, what should I do?!" I gasped to myself, my heart beating at a million miles a minute. I then caught sight of some shards from the walls from when Cerberus had landed next to me, and I had an idea. I hurried over to the rubble and tried to pick up the most sizeable piece I could, taking a page out of Sonic's book from when he tripped Cerberus…I wasn't planning on tripping the thing, but if I could distract it enough to get it to close its mouth before Sonic struck…

"YAH!"

I hurled the slab of wall as hard as I could, and…unfortunately, it was a pitiful throw. Tails had seen it, and I didn't fail to see him cringe afterward. Regardless, I'd done what I intended, and that was to strike Cerberus –I'd REALLY be pitiful had I missed- and get him to close its mouth.

On the other hand, it was brilliant timing, as Cerberus' mouth slammed shut as Sonic uncurled, reaching out and grabbing the tip of Cerberus' antenna once again. Sonic tried to get it to drive into the wall a final time, but Eggman wasn't having any of it, fighting back at the controls.

"Grrr! Listen to me!" Sonic shouted, struggling to get Cerberus to obey. Tails and I could only watch as Sonic furiously yanked the antenna to the right, and finally, at long last, Cerberus jerked to the right.

"What?! No, NO-!" Eggman yelled from the cockpit, his mustache standing on end as control over his machine slowly slipped away from him.

Tails and I let out a simultaneous cheer of triumph as Sonic flipped off of Cerberus, letting him cause his own demise as he thrashed into the wall one last time, hitting himself where it really hurt! Cerberus started exploding in several places throughout its body, falling limply to the ground as Eggman prepared to take his leave.

"Sonic, I won't let you get away…!"

Sonic was about to retort with a snarky comment, but his mouth was snapped shut when a herd of Eggman's drones approached us from the sky, silhouetted by the setting sun and marigold sight. While somewhat pretty, it was a scene of impending doom, and both Sonic and Tails knew that when they scrambled out of the arena and returned to my side. Sonic especially seemed frustrated as he folded his arms.

"How long is this going to go on?!"

I wished I had an answer for him, but suddenly Tails spoke up, becoming animated once again.

"Let's split up," he offered, his blue irises looking bright as he said it. "I'll get their attention, and you take the princess!"

I glanced at Sonic, who had the slightest sign of hesitation to him.

"Are you sure about that Tails? There are quite a few robots, and I'd hate for you to get overtaken…"

"No problem!" Tails assured, striking a pose. "They're not so tough, and all I have to do is distract them long enough for you to get away!"

Sonic mulled this over with his arms still folded, closing his eyes. Eventually, with his eyes still closed, he extended one of his arms and gave Tails a thumbs up.

"Okay. You be careful, Tails."

"Leave it to me!" he replied exuberantly, almost happily flying straight into the menagerie of robots that were advancing upon him. Sonic watched him leave, and once he vanished into the distance, he turned back to me and, quite literally, swept me off my feet, just like he had last night. Now that he was used to me, and we weren't in a life or death situation, I sat a bit more comfortably in his grip. I wasn't really sure what to say to him at this point, but he gave me that small reassuring smile once again and held me higher.

"Hold on tight," he practically whispered to me, and I felt my arms tighten around his neck instinctively.

"O-Okay."

_So unlike a princess, stammering so much…_

Thankfully, Sonic didn't mind, as he whisked off with me in tow, hoping that Tails would be able to divert Eggman's attention…

**E-S**

"Oh boy, here we go…"

So I was about to run head first into a throng of robots with Elise in tow, and while dodging the shots wasn't going to be a problem, it was attacking back that was the issue- as long as Elise was in my arms, I couldn't exactly perform a homing attack…I'd be lucky enough to jump on the robot's head.

"Okay, so this might sound awkward, but…how's your stomach?"

_Yes everybody, Sonic really knows how to start a conversation with the ladies._

Elise's face became stunned. "What the-?!"

I braked to a stop and ducked under several shots, cursing myself for not choosing my words better.

"If I homing attack these guys, I need to know that you're not going to, uh…bring up breakfast?"

Elise looked like she was staring at a crazy person…which I really couldn't fault her for.

"I move really fast when I homing attack, and not many people are used to that instantaneous speed…I guess I'm just trying to ask for your consent first as a passenger of the Sonic Express, heh heh."

"Do whatever it takes to get those cretins out of the way," Elise told me. "Don't worry about my sake."

"While that is what I like to hear, keeping you safe is sort of at the top of my priority list," I retorted, though I wasted no time in somersaulting in midair and kicking down the robots in our path. Elise's eyes spun around after the execution, but she didn't seem deterred by it.

"…you're only keeping me safe because I'm royalty, huh?" she murmured under her breath, but I picked it up.

"No; I'm keeping you safe because you're a person who needs help," I stated firmly, leaping over a rock. "And besides, you're my friend, and I don't need a reason to help out my friends."

I felt her freeze in my arms, as if she didn't know how to react.

"I'm your…friend?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not? You're nice enough, and you did help me with Cerberus in that final stretch."

"I suppose, but well, you did most of the work," Elise insisted, glancing away. "You were really brave in that fight, Sonic."

"Pah, that was nothing," I scoffed, and she blinked in surprise. "I could be here all day talking about some of the outrageous things I've done…don't even get me started on this one time we were in space and my red friend Knuckles took the controls of the space ship- I kid you not, we would've died."

Elise had no idea who or what I was talking about, but she found herself giggling anyway. I hummed under my breath myself, but then she suddenly became downtrodden.

"You're certainly a well-travelled guy…"

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but I have been to many exotic places," I boasted. "However, I have yet to travel the whole world…but I guess one day an excuse to do so will come along!"

"And you…just leave to travel whenever you want?"

I had a feeling I knew where she was going with this. "…yeah. I guess I do. I take it you don't get to do much, huh?"

Elise hung her head. "No, not really…"

"Well, do you want to know something?" I asked her, and she tilted her head back up with interest. "You're with me right now…and with me, you can always be free."

Elise didn't have the chance the respond; I sped across the sands of the desert, sending the minuscule grains into the air and causing them to sparkle in the waning sunlight. She had tightened her grip on me, taking my advice from earlier. Now that I knew she was set for the ride, I careened over a discarded piece of ruins and took off into the air, Dusty Desert displayed out in front of us.

"Whoa," Elise breathed, and I only smirked.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg!"

We free fell out of the air, my quills flying upward with the force until I alighted back in the ruins. I leapt over some overturned pillars, with some more of Eggman's drones waiting ahead for us. Elise tried to warn me about them, but I just halted and started running in a giant circle.

"Just watch this."

Elise did indeed watch as the world around us slowly became a blue funnel, with me being the driving cause of it. Any and all drones that were nearby were whipped haphazardly into the air, and I jumped away from the funnel and let the wind whisk the drones in all directions, where they hit the ground and exploded.

"And I didn't even need to use my hands!"

Elise was speechless, but that was okay- I tend to have that effect on people, heh heh.

Anyway, up ahead, I was forced to run on some sand, and as I did, I realized that a certain glowing force field surrounded me, and I looked down at Elise.

"Um…are you doing that?"

"It-I well…yeah, it's me," she stammered again. She did that a lot; did I really make her that nervous? "It…protects me from harsh environments and situations, though I guess it's here for your sake…"

"How are you doing this?" I asked, and she cast her gaze downward.

"It's a bit of a long story; I'll tell you later if you're interested." Elise tucked a tuft of hair behind her. "In any case, the sand here is treacherous, and the shield is protecting you from sinking."

"Ooooh," I replied, stepping back onto more solid ground. "Okay, thanks for your help!"

"You're not going to question it more…?!"

"Why question it when you can just accept it?" I asked in return. Elise was thoughtfully quiet after that, leaving me to work on bounding out of the desert. I still wasn't an expert on Soleanna's topography, but anywhere had to be safer than the desert where Eggman could get his hands on Elise…right?

_Now I'm questioning myself._

Trying to take my mind off it, I was much more interested in focusing on giving Elise just a little taste of how I lived day to day. I whisked myself across the sands, Elise's protective shield surrounding me and keeping me safe all the while, allowing me to reach a loop in the path. I picked up a little speed, running up the side of it, going upside down, and coming back down the other side, doing it so quickly that Elise almost had missed it.

I then stampeded over a boost ramp, catapulting us into the air and straight at a pillar. Elise flinched out of instincts, but my own kicked in, and in a split second, I planted my feet on the side of the pillar, pushing off toward the next one. Elise relaxed once she realized that I knew what I was doing, and seemed amazed when I made one impressive leap after the other in quick succession.

_But really, above all else, I wanted her to feel the rush of the wind._

There was just something about running into the wind that served to lift my spirits, and no one else could ever understand unless they were running along with me. And from the very short time I've spent with this girl, I knew her spirit needed lifting more than anyone else…

_And even in the midst of impending doom, there was always time to be free. _

My plans were cut a bit short when we stumbled across a gang of robots, with one larger drone standing in the middle, and actually looking somewhat imposing. I really didn't want Elise to be caught up in the impending battle, but there was no time to put her out of the way.

"Woah!" I yelled, ducked to my right to evade an onslaught of shots. Elise shrieked and caused the shield to surround us out of fear, but I didn't think it was strong enough to withstand the blasts.

"This may get a bit rough Elise," I warned her, crouching down and scanning the area with quick darting motions of my eyes. I was trying to figure out the best way to take out that large one in the middle…

"Do what you need to," Elise replied, eyes locked onto the larger drone. With a firm nod, I rushed forward, bounding into the air just before being struck. I did a flip, landing on the drone's shoulders and pushing off with my feet, sending it towards the ground and crushing all the smaller drones beneath it. The large drone was by no means defeated, and I knew I was going to need all my strength to put it out of commission.

"…I think I'm going to take you up on your offer," I told Elise, and while a wave of bewilderment crossed her expression, I winked at her and tossed her as high as I could into the air. She naturally screamed, but I worked fast, collapsing to the ground and curling into a ball as my metallic adversary got back up off the ground. It went to attack Elise; I shot up from the ground like a super-powered blue buzz saw and tore straight through the middle of its torso, rendering it useless before it could even make a move. I backflipped away from the wreckage with my arms held out, catching Elise in my arms just as I planned.

"Sonic-!" she started to exclaim, and I merely smirked.

"What? You said to do what I had to!"

"But you could've at least given me a warning!" Elise insisted, eyes still wide from the experience.

"Technically I did- I just wasn't specific," I hummed. "'Sides, there's nothing wrong with a little zest and surprise, eh?"

Elise was silent after that, and I cringed, thinking I had really upset her.

"…you do know I wasn't going to let you fall, right?" I asked quietly. Elise continued to be wordless, which was unsettling me, until she let out a laugh that sounded like she hadn't _meant _to laugh, but found herself unable to control it.

"Yes, I knew that," she chuckled, her laugh sounding as harmonic as wind chimes. "I trust you, Sonic; you came back for me after Eggman took me, and made good on your promise…"

"I never make a promise I plan to break, honest." I laughed too, relaxing now that I knew she wasn't mad or anything.

"And I believe you."

I broke out into a grin as I ran off again, wanting to return back to that rush of speed.

"Then believe me when I tell you that you're going to love this."

I took off with a start, causing Elise to jolt but she didn't scream this time. The deteriorated walls of the ruins were starting to thin out now, allowing the golden sun in the marmalade sky to cast its rays over us. Elise was distracted by the sky, only to have her heart jump again when I barreled through a series of loops made out of rock, spiraling through and watching the world twirled around us.

"Life has many perspectives, you know," I spoke into the winds, grains of sand drifting around us like silver dust. "…we just need to find the ones that are different from our own."

"…you're right," Elise breathed as we soared through the air for a brief moment in time. "Are you normally this profound?"

"Occasionally," I stated lightly enough, landing in the middle of two huge statues, and what appeared to be some stairs leading deeper into the ruins. "But people usually dismiss it as nonsense or something, so I try not to preach much."

_Sometime I feel as though inanimate objects listen to me more._

"Well, I like your thoughts on life," Elise commented, and this time she didn't stutter. "They're poetic, beautiful, and instill hope…and the most apparent thing is that you make _sense_, and I…well, at least that's what I think."

"Huh," I mused, attacking some robots on my way through. "I've never had my thought process be described as 'beautiful' before, but it's far better than being called 'irresponsible' or 'reckless'…so thanks!"

"How can anyone not agree with you, though?" Elise asked me, and to be frank, that was a question I pondered over with myself many times before.

"…it's probably because of the fact that the way I live is so radically different from everyone else," I sighed. "I'm not bound by anything- I can go where I want, do as I please, and not have to conform to anything…so I'm free to think as I do because I know that I _can_ live by my philosophy."

I dropped my gaze away from Elise and shrugged.

"But everyone else…is_ stuck_, in a sense. Forced to abide by what society dictates, condemned to repeat the same routine day after day after day…dedicated to one thing and one thing alone that leaves them stubborn and resistant to change…"

"I guess I'm one in everyone too," I heard Elise whisper under her breath, and my heart bled for her.

"…but that doesn't mean you can't live the life that you want to," I insisted, smiling again. "Yes, we may find ourselves bound by responsibility, but we can't let that dictate us forever…life is out there, the world is waiting- don't just sit there and waste your precious time…!"

Elise looked up at me, like she desperately wanted to believe in my words, like she wanted to live as I could…but she felt that she honestly couldn't, like her responsibility was too great to unload for even a few sparing moments. She'd been caught up in a life she didn't want without a choice, and while I may not have been able to bring her out of it…I could show her that she could change her future and her life if she wanted it enough.

"When you want to do something, do it right way," I told her, trying as hard as I could to convey my message. "…all you have to do is do it when you can, in the time you have, because that's the only way to live a life without regrets."

My words seemed to have a heavy effect on her, but whether it worked or not remained to be seen by me because as I worked my way up the ruined tower we entered earlier, spiked balls were being rolled down the path, and I could only pin the culprit down to being Eggman's drones.

_They were ruining the nice atmosphere I was building up…!_

I sidestepped them all without too much trouble- it was the drones that showed up later did there become a problem. I was forced to dodge their shots and the spiked balls, and I could move fast, but I couldn't focus on doing two things at once…

"We just need to get to the top, then we can figure where to go from here!" I exclaimed, doing my best to homing attack the robots and work my way up. Elise gripped me tighter to brace for the bumpy ride, but it wasn't too far of a jaunt- once we got past the worst of it, there was nothing but sand and a shelter in the distance, which I made it to safely thanks to Elise's protective shield.

"Nice!" Elise exclaimed as I set her down, plopping onto the ground to catch my breath.

"Woo…" I trailed, looking back the way we came. The robots seemed to lose track of us, considering how far we travelled over the sand, so I figured we'd be okay for now. "…we should be able to take shelter for the night here, and then we can make our way across the valley and back to the city in the morning."

"We…we have to spend the night here?" Elise asked as I kicked up nice and comfy against a broken pillar.

"Yup. We're both pretty exhausted from the day we've had, and as long as we're safe here, there's no reason why we can't rest," I explained. "Got some torches and this huge eagle statue looming over us too-"

"You got comfortable _really_ fast," Elise suddenly blurted out as she sat on a stone next to me. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I sleep around like this all the time." I then lowered my eyes. "I know it's not exactly the cushy bed you're probably used to, but it's kinda like camping! And since we're in the desert, we don't have to worry about rain!"

"It's fine, Sonic," Elise finally said, leaning up against the wall and curling into a more comfortable position. "I've never spent a night away from the castle before...excluding last night, but then again, I didn't really sleep either."

I gestured to the area around us and smiled.

"Then allow me to welcome you to your first sleepover!"

She chuckled a little, lingering a smile at me before her eyes drifted close- now that there was a lull in excitement, her body could finally get off the alert and rest, and I had to admit, I was pretty tired too.

And soon enough, I found my eyes closing right along with Elise's.


	4. Memories of the Expanse of Life

**SonicSonic54321**: I do my best. :D I'm personally looking forward to when Knuckles arrives, actually! It gets so much better. XD

**werewolf lover99**: Interesting question. I suppose yes, why not; but I guess it also depends on what the fan character is based on and whatnot. *shrug*

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 3: Memories of the Expanse of Life

We awoke rather early the next day, refreshed and ready to get a jump on taking Elise back home. I honestly wouldn't have minded bringing her to other places she'd otherwise _never_ get to experience, but she WAS the princess, and with Eggman still not-so mysteriously on the loose, her home was probably the safest place she could be.

_While also the most miserable._

The thought tore me apart as we romped through the valley, Elise in my arms, the breeze in my quills, miles of green grass all around us, and the blue sky above…

_I hated days that appeared like they were bright and sunny, when in reality they were hiding the darkness that loomed over the horizon._

There was a heavy feeling in my gut that was telling me I was _really_ in for it, and I despised that feeling because it had been right for the last six years, and I didn't even want to fathom what could possibly be waiting for me when we made it back to the city…

Elise suddenly drew closer to me, pulling me out of my musings, and reminded me that she needed me above all else right now, and even if that meant trouble in the future, I was just going to have to stand up and face it. She then nudged me, saying that she wanted to walk for a while, and I was okay with that- my arm was mysteriously starting to hurt, and while I certainly didn't mind carrying her, the extra strain was not making my arm feel any better. It was probably nothing, though- I had random pains all the time, only surfacing when my adrenaline was low.

_I guess that was one of the many perks of being me._

My mind was taken off of it when Elise spun around and faced me, taking a small bow afterward.

"I have no words to express how grateful I am for your help…"

"Don't mention it," I replied, giving her a thumbs up. "Really, there's no need to-"

Elise's gaze suddenly locked onto my outstretched arm and she gasped.

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed, crouching down to my side immediately. I just looked down at my arm- I honestly couldn't detect anything wrong with it, other than the soreness that had weakened to a dull ache.

"It's nothing," I assured, causally shaking my arm. "Really, no big deal…it'll go away when I start running again."

Elise was adamant though, halting my shaking arm and gently keeping it still to inspect it.

"Don't say that…"

"But I get hurt all the time," I explained, and it was a sad truth. Pain had been a mainstay in my life since I was ten- I simply learned to shrug it off. "I can't even see where there's anything wrong-"

"That's because it's a clean cut," Elise stated, prodding at the spot EXACTLY where the pain originated. I twitched minutely. "It must've happened during the fight with Cerberus; some stray piece of shrapnel slicing you…"

"I want to know how you could've spotted it," I murmured, looking curious. Elise just shrugged and kept looking at it, noticing that it really was a little red.

"Part of my princess duties- spotting injuries and knowing how to treat them."

_Yeesh, she waved that one off._

Elise got up close and personal with my arm, which made me a little uncomfortable- I never was good with too much physical contact- but her concern was appreciated, seeing as I never bothered to address my own bruises and scars when I had them.

_And I despise doctors, sooooo…_

I tried to be nonchalant as Elise ripped off a small piece of her dress to use as a bandage, suddenly finding a cloud off in the distance incredibly interesting as I poked my nose subconsciously. It seemed to take her forever to tie the thing, eventually causing my foot to tap impatiently with a mind of his own, but I think she wanted to be gentle with my arm…but it really wasn't that big of a deal…!

After that cloud I took interest in passed over my head and continued its blissful march across the sky, Elise suddenly spoke up again, making me tense.

"I'm sorry…" she sighed, finishing up with my arm and drawing away. "It's all my fault…"

She rested her hand softly on my bandage, head hung down, eyes closed, and hair shining in the sun. She was so crestfallen even after helping me out, and I couldn't blame _her_ for the injury- that was more of a result of my own recklessness.

_Unless that's not what she was talking about._

With my good arm, I reached over and tilted her chin up, until her gaze met my own.

"Smile."

"Wh…what?"

She kept on frowning, so I wagged my finger in her direction and shook my head. I could still tell she felt guilty for whatever reason, but before I could elaborate further, a blue butterfly came out of nowhere and made its way onto my nose. I must've gone cross-eyed trying to look at the thing, which finally drove Elise to smile and giggle uncontrollably.

I just continued to look dumbly at it, but Elise's eyes were wide, mesmerized and fascinated like she'd never seen one before. It was like she was captivated by the delicate beauty of the moment, like in that instant alone, she was a part of a whole different side to life, no matter how small it was…it was symbolic to her, and for someone who'd been sheltered and resisted her whole life… she was able to take life just as it was, without any complications, without any problems, without any hesitation…

_Even in the midst of things, life was good._

She then held her hand up to my nose, cuing the butterfly to step onto the tip of her finger, when she flicked it up and prompted the butterfly to continue on its way. It flew off into the blue expanse of the sky, flying off toward its next destination of its life. Elise and I watched it until its blue wings blended with the sky above. Elise stood up again, still staring off into the distance. She was smiling, but her eyes hid traces of sadness.

"Elise, your apology for something that isn't your fault is unnecessary…" I said to her, and she glanced down to look at me. "Your smile…that's all I need."

I happily jaunted away at this point, sporting my new bandage which made me look about three percent cooler.

_Maybe I should wrap my entire arms and legs in bandages- then I'd look REALLY awesome!_

In any case, I was content with walking for a little while, that way Elise wouldn't have to worry about being a burden to me by carrying her, and for the time being it was a pretty nice day…what was wrong with taking the longer way back?

Elise, a broad smile painted across her face, hurriedly jogged after me, trotting along as we made our way over the hills.

**S-E**

Sonic…

I honestly couldn't think of a way to describe him.

I wordlessly watched as he sauntered in front of me, taking the morning with stride and confidence in such a way that I wished I could mimic. How he could carry on so care freely with all that was happening made me want to do the same…I just didn't know _how_.

I felt like nothing more than baggage- like some sort of rock that was tied to him and slowed him down while he tried to run full force with life, and I did nothing to help him…I didn't deserve his help, darn it, but he insisted on giving it to me and it drove me mad trying to figure out why.

"_Because…you're my friend."_

I never had a friend before…especially not one like him.

I honestly didn't know what having a friend was like, and I didn't know what they did for each other- I really was that sheltered. So when he selflessly offered his assistance, I assumed it was just because I was royalty, because I was something that NEEDED protecting…

But no- he treated me like I was any other person in trouble- no special treatment, no trying to get in on my royal status…

Maybe I really was his friend and I hadn't been able to realize it.

So when I spotted that wound on his arm, I wanted to do what I could to help. I knew it wasn't much, and it was a rather pitiful attempt regardless- especially seeing how Sonic was persistent in claiming that it was nothing worth attention…but I gave it attention anyway, because it needed it, and because he was my friend.

I trusted him, and he proved that he warranted my trust many times…but I'd barely done anything to earn that same trust back.

"_Your smile…that's all I need."_

All he needed from me was my smile…he didn't need the poised and perfect princess, he didn't need my useless apologies for things beyond my control, and it appeared he didn't even need my gratitude, though nothing could stop me from giving that…

All he wanted from me was my smile, and nothing else…and knowing that alone was enough to make me let my guard down. This guy…whom I was fortunate to have met one day, didn't _need_ anything from me like everyone else did.

_He was right- with him, I could be free._

"Eggman mentioned something called the Flames of Disaster," Sonic suddenly spoke up, folding his arms behind his head. "…is that why he's after you?"

"Yes," I nodded, snapping out of my daydreaming. "The name of the sun god our country honors is Solaris. It is told that Solaris' rage will destroy the world. His wrath comes in the form of the Flames of Disaster…"

Just speaking about it caused those disturbing images of my country burning to ground come flooding back to my mind- those untamed flames, consuming everything…!

_A destruction _something_ inside of me craved. _

I saw a huge monster rising from the flames, casting any and all buildings in hellfire and turning even the slightest sign of life to ash… and it simply brought me back to the day my father died, and I felt myself go numb…in place of that sadness I wanted to feel.

"Ten years ago, we almost faced the full force of his fury…I was a child then, so I don't remember it very well, but it was a dark time for all involved. I lost my father then…"

I stopped walking, trying to embrace the numbness before the pain of those memories drove tears right out of my eyes.

_Because I couldn't cry, no matter what happened._

"That man…is trying to cause the same disaster again…" I forced out, hanging my head. "But what can I do…?"

I was once again feeling helpless, but I was so numb I couldn't move. Sonic was staring at me like my eyes were about to fall out of my head but I couldn't help but appear panic-stricken. My life was falling all around me once again and I could do nothing but worry-!

Sonic suddenly grabbed my hand and started running, whisking me away without saying a word and pulling me along behind him. Our brisk and placid walk had suddenly turned into a footrace.

"Sonic? _Sonic_!" I called, struggling to keep up with him thanks to my klutzy and impractical high heels. "WAIT!"

He kept dragging me along, and I was so afraid that I was going to trip. How in the world did he expect me to keep up with him…?!

"I can't run that fast!" I insisted, already feeling my legs wobble under my own weight. Sonic just glanced over his shoulder with that bright green gaze of his…and smiled.

"Don't worry! Just raise your head and run!"

I tried my best to match the speed of his footfalls, but I lurched every now and then when I fell behind. Still, I kept my head high just the same, letting myself get lost in the sensation of running…it was certainly no blissful euphoria like Sonic described his experiences as, but it did serve to make me feel better, almost as if my spirit was one with the clouds drifting high above our heads…

I ran hard for as long as I could, with Sonic eventually stopping to let me go, and I ended up running on ahead, spreading out my arms and pretending that I was sailing along the wind at a high speed, with the world around me blending into a smear of blue and green. I tried to imagine what Sonic would see as he rushed across the lands, but eventually I had exhausted myself and fell backward into the soft grass, laughing up at the sky. Sonic, smirking, walked over to me and stood by my side, and for a few moments there, we watched the clouds drift along the backdrop.

"…you definitely know how to cheer a girl up, Sonic," I chuckled between my gasps for breath. His eyes sparkled as he excitedly held up his hands.

"It feels great, doesn't it?" he asked me, beaming brightly.

"Y-yes," I breathed, smiling though my crazy exhaustion. "I've never run so fast before…!"

"Sometimes it's not even the speed," Sonic explained, casting his hand over the expanse that was the sky. "Sometimes just that rush of running is enough to get you high on life, heh heh."

"I can't…I don't even know how to describe how I feel…!" I was stammering again, but this time, it wasn't because I was hesitant, but because I was pleasantly at a loss for words. "I need to do this more often, but I don't…know if I'll be able to…"

Sonic stood straight and swiped his finger in front of me with conviction. "Nothing starts until you take action! If you have time to worry…"

He took a few laps around me to prove his point, and I covered my mouth to hide my giggle.

"…then run!"

He stopped to the left of me, offering his good arm to help me up off the ground. I placed my hand into his, and he gripped me with that firm but gentle grasp, pulling me up from the grass. His quills bounced a bit with force of the breeze, and while I wore my smile with pride, I knew that when I went home, we'd have to part ways…

_And I didn't know if I was ready for that yet._

* * *

**Silver battle is next time I promiiiiiiiise... (though I personally like Silver's version more)! In the meantime, tune in Wednesday for another *glorious* Shadow chapter! **


	5. Memories of Fighting Silver

**SonicSonic54321: **You have completely seen right through me. xD

**werewolf lover99: **Thank you, and I definitely will!

**Katz4: **Yeah, a string of some of my favorite chapters are coming up pretty soon, so I'm looking forward to it too!

. . .

**Hmm. I'm a little nervous, actually- this is the first chapter with a scene in more than one story (unless you want to count the Festival of the Sun in chapter 2 of Silver's story). It's a totally different experience on both ends, I just...never did anything like this before. I dunno what to say. xD ****  
**

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 4: Memories of Fighting Silver

It was about noon when we returned to the city, and Sonic was _set_ on getting me out of the clutches of Eggman. I also noted that he must've been keeping an eye out for Tails, considering we hadn't seen him since yesterday. I placed a hand on his shoulder to ease his anxiousness; he gave me a nod to let me know he was fine before continuing on.

And we probably would've made it to the castle if something else hadn't disturbed Sonic.

He halted me in an instant, eyes looking sharp and ears perked, ready to pick up any strange movement or sound. My instincts weren't nearly as fine-tuned as his, so I had no idea what made his quills bristle, but he suddenly scooped me up and jumped several feet away, and I screamed as a green ball of energy landed where we once stood. Sonic landed pretty harshly, but the impact hardly deterred him as he snarled at the unprecedented attacker.

"I've been looking for you…_You're_ the Iblis Trigger…"

Sonic set me back down on the ground and tried to scope out his opponent, who was descending down from above with a determined look plastered to his face. I instantly froze; this hedgehog before us…his white fur, his crazy spikes, his futuristic gloves and shoes…

_I'd seen him before, I just couldn't figure out _when_…_

But I knew he must've meant trouble for Sonic.

"Your actions will condemn us all!" the hedgehog shouted, pointing fiercely in Sonic's direction. Sonic jumped in front of me and held his arms out again, standing protectively just like he had back at Dusty Desert.

"Who ARE you?" Sonic asked, completely confused by this bizarre new arrival. A glare darted across the hedgehog's yellow eyes as he narrowed them.

"My name is Silver…and for the future of the world, I WILL destroy you! The time has come for you to disappear!"

I glanced over to Sonic, whose jaw was slacked.

"What is this guy going ON about?! Doesn't seem like he's just here to talk…!" he screeched, shaking his head. "And what's up with his hairstyle!?"

"Oh yeah, sure- attack my looks!" Silver sounded ridiculously offended, his hands beginning to inexplicably glow green. "Well, how about I attack your face with a chair?!"

"What-?" was all Sonic could stutter out before Silver guided his hand over to a nearby eating place of an outdoor restaurant. The table and chair suddenly were enveloped by the eerie green aura before being hurled at Sonic, who indeed was hit in the face with the chair. I grimaced as Sonic was flung back by the impact, writhing on the ground and clutching his forehead.

"Well THAT hurt!" Sonic grunted, picking himself up and facing his strange foe. "How are you doing that?!"

"I have nothing to explain to you, Iblis Trigger!" Silver insisted, his hands glowing and six crates hovering over his head. He then crossed his arms across his chest, causing the six crates to come crashing down on top of Sonic and bury him. After seeing that display, I refused to just stand by and let it happen. I had started making my way over to subdue Silver in any way I could, but before I had a chance to do anything Silver suddenly projected a force field that prevented me from getting close.

"Stay back, this fight is between the two of us only!" he demanded, now taking a hold of Sonic with his powers. I thudded lightly against the barrier, pounding on it as I shouted at Sonic.

"Come on, break out of it!" I yelled, trying to encourage him into a comeback. He wrestled with giant robots; surely an apparently psychic hedgehog couldn't be much worse? However, despite my words, Sonic floundered in Silver's grip, and whatever Silver was doing to keep him restrained was working.

"I-I can't!" Sonic managed to gasp out before he was hurled unceremoniously across the yard. "Nooooo!"

Silver tossed him straight at the ground, forcing him against the concrete and causing some serious damage. Sonic finally stopped skidding when he plowed into a pile of crates, though they proceeded to fall on top of him afterward. The bandage I had given to Sonic was now utterly useless, as it has frayed and fallen off his arm.

_So much for me trying to help…_

Sonic spent a split second looking at his now bare arm before fully pulling himself out of the debris and scowling at Silver.

"What is wrong with you?" he barked, defiant as ever though looking worse for wear. "Where do you get off just randomly attacking people!?"

"This is no random fight!" Silver insisted, eyes and hands glowing this time.

_He could've fooled us._

"You are the Iblis Trigger, and therefore you must DIE!"

"Whoa!" Sonic shouted, scrambling out of the way just as a wave of pure energy went slicing through the piles of crates. Shrapnel of wood went flying all over the place, and I myself had to shield my body from it, even with the distance I was standing. I looked over to Sonic to see if he was okay, and to my relief, he was more than fine.

He had that confident grin on his face.

Seeing as he'd never fought Silver before, he didn't know what to expect, hence why Silver got away with smacking him with a chair and throwing him into a pile of boxes…But now Sonic had his fighting style memorized, and not only that…Silver preferred to stay in one spot, meaning that Sonic DEFINIELY had the advantage in speed.

"All right you insane hedgehog! Now I'm serious!" Sonic called exuberantly, and I watch as he stood atop one of the crates that had hindered him before. "I can tell you are new in town, so I'll give you a little warning now…I. Die. Hard."

"You'll die regardless!" Silver hissed, lifting the crate Sonic was standing on into the air. Sonic was more than ready for it this time, leaping off of the box and curling into a ball in midair. Silver actually seemed shocked at this, and certainly wasn't expecting Sonic to plow into his stomach with the force of a buzz saw.

"Go get him!" I shouted, trying my best to give Sonic my support.

_What else was there to do on the sidelines_?

Silver got up off the ground and stared harshly at me, giving me a look of utter disappointment.

"Why…? Why do you cheer for the world's end?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," I stated sternly, shaking my head. "That heroic hedgehog would never be the cause of the end…if anything, he'd be the one preventing it!"

"You're the one that doesn't know the truth!" Silver yelled back at me, and I suddenly shrunk back. His eyes were fierce and striking, and for a moment it almost seemed like Silver had already given up on everything, and somehow, killing Sonic was his last chance to make things right…

_But was Sonic…really destined to destroy the world?_

"You keep her out of this!" Sonic practically roared, sliding along the ground and sweeping Silver's legs out from under him. "You said it yourself- this is between you and me, pal!"

He then grabbed Silver by the fluffy white fur around his neck and spun around again, just like he did when he was throwing the slab of rock at Cerberus. This time, Silver was the cargo, and he went soaring in the air, and would've crashed straight into a window had he not stopped himself with his powers. Sonic watched him curiously, trying to figure out how he was doing all of those mind blowing things…

And frankly, I was curious too. Silver was proving to be a rather dangerous person to fight, and Sonic was really lucky that he had his speed on his side…because as soon as Silver hit the ground again, he quickly compiled a large attack of several objects, tossing it towards Sonic. I felt my heart leap into my throat- if that hit him…!

Sonic simpered, flashed a wink at me, then easily slipped out of the way, with the massive object landing an impossibly short distance away from him.

_He definitely enjoyed a flair for the dramatic._

"_Just_ missed me that time!"

"How about THIS, then?!" Silver cried, his whole body glowing green as what I could only describe as his psychic influence spread across the entire area, taking possession of any remaining crates, chairs and tables that happened to be lying around. Sonic took a step back as all the objects came together as one giant mass of things…and he was getting ready to crush Sonic with it.

"Look out!" I cried, but Sonic instead went blasting full speed at Silver with a speed demon's look in his eyes. I threw up my hands- so much for being helpful.

"Here I come!"

Silver was so busy preparing for the attack that Sonic charging into him like a train he completely missed, and he went sailing into the wall of a building for sure this time.

"Argh-!"

A few bricks fell from the building's walls, with Sonic braking to a stop and letting the ball of objects fall onto Silver.

"How's that for a taste of your own medicine?!" Sonic called, and I lightly clapped my hands. I personally thought Silver was done for, but then the pile of rubble started rumbling uncontrollably, and all the chairs, tables, bricks, debris, and crates scattered everywhere, and Sonic ran at me and pushed me to ground before anything could hit either of us.

"This guy is a few quills short of a hedgehog…" I heard Sonic mutter under his breath.

"It kinda seems like he has too many, in my opinion," I replied innocently enough, but Sonic let out a sharp and quick snicker before throwing himself back into the fray.

Silver was panting and huffing, standing right where the debris ball had fallen, and it appeared that he'd sapped up the last of his energy dispersing his own creation. He glowered darkly at Sonic, and weak from overusing his powers, he simply let out a primal cry and threw himself at Sonic with a fist extended.

Sonic simply sidestepped, grabbed his fist, and threw him back to the ground.

"You're…new at this whole fighting thing, aren't you?" Sonic asked his foe, who was writhing on the ground in a cold sweat. He wasn't too far from me, and I couldn't help but gawk at him, feeling like we'd met before…but that wasn't the most prominent though on my mind.

It was how _scared_ he looked.

Neither Sonic nor I knew anything about him other than his name, yet as he kneeled on the ground panting heavily and cringing in pain, I couldn't help but pity him. His pupils were small and his eyes were wide like he couldn't afford to _not_ kill Sonic…

He looked younger than Sonic, but not by much, and just thinking about what could have been so traumatic and heartbreaking for this guy to drive him to kill…

I didn't even want to think about it.

**E-S**

Um, wow…

All right, so way back when I first met Knuckles and he attacked me, that was because there were strangers on his island, and with the whirlwind his life took after the Death Egg landed on his home, a place he lived in solitude for his whole life, I was no longer surprised as to how he reacted.

_It still hurt like heck to be PUNCHED straight out of my Super Form though….!_

Then there was Shadow- when I confronted him that first night we met, he'd only opposed me because I looked like him, and later in the jungle, he was in a hurry for whatever reason, and he still took the time to tussle with me because I was in his way…

_And don't even get me started on the race we had…_

But THIS guy, this…white weirdo who jumped out of nowhere, started calling me names, and tried to kill me with his magic or whatever it was… what could I, me, Sonic the Hedgehog have possibly done to warrant such ruthless aggression to a guy I'd_ never_ met?

I never had so much trouble reading a guy before, with his strange quill style, the black lines around his eyes, and that boot and glove combo…Elise seemed at a loss for words at the sight of him too, meaning that he probably wasn't from here…

But _I _wasn't even from here! Sure, I'm world famous, but…but…

_Chaos, what good could my _death _possibly bring to this guy?_

As we fought, I realized instantly that he wasn't a native fighter, or that he was at least some sort of pacifist that had been forced into combat. He wasn't very attentive, which was why it was so easy for me to nail him with kicks and spin dashes, and he was surprisingly really light- I kind felt like Knuckles when I tossed him around, heh.

He tried his hardest, I'll give him that. I had no idea what to expect with his glowing powers- though I'm pretty sure he's telekinetic- and he got in a few hits.

_And one was with a chair, no less._

But the problem was, he was trying_ way_ too hard, and I guess he tired himself out, so I didn't want to nail him with some crazy final smash ending blow. I had pushed him to the ground in an attempt to have him get a grip on himself…but I think I just made it worse.

I crept closer to him, still trying to get a read on him, but as he kneeled on the ground grabbing his arm with pain, he raised his golden gaze to meet my emerald one, and it wasn't the least bit pleasant.

He was scared straight to the very core, he was angry at something, confused by someone…but one thing I understood above all else…was that he thought he could find solace by taking my life.

_And in all actuality, THAT scared ME._

"Hey," I said, stepping way too close to Silver for my liking, but I wanted to show him I meant no harm. Before I could even get another word out, he suddenly raised his hand in my direction, and I lost control of myself, suddenly being flung into the nearest pillar there and almost being crushed against it. Silver continued to hold me there until Elise intervened, running from the sidelines and pushing Silver away.

"Leave him alone!" she cried, shoving him from behind and pushing him over. Silver stumbled forward and lost his psychic grip on me, and I ended up sliding awkwardly down the pillar.

_My quills were partially wedged into it…it wasn't really a nice experience…ow…_

I landed on my knee, sending a shooting pain rocketing up my body. I cringed and tried to swallow the physical agony as Silver glared at Elise and stomped over to me. He bent down and rested his hands on his knees. I breathed heavily, still wondering just who this fool was.

"Hmph! Is this some kind of joke?" he sneered at me, looking down on me with his fiery gaze. "How could someone like YOU cause the destruction of our world?"

_That's exactly what I want to know!_

"What do you mean…?" was all I could groan out, tired of all this talk of destruction. Let me be, man…!

Silver just stood straight again, solemnly shaking his head. "It…doesn't matter. For the sake of the future, the Iblis Trigger must be destroyed."

_What the heck is an Iblis?!_

I was getting ready to run again as Silver's glove started glowing, but a piercing, feminine shriek assailed our ears, and my head snapped back over to Elise, who was now stuck in Eggman's clutches once again while I'd been distracted. Silver appeared slightly confused by this, but I no longer had the time to deal with him!

"Elise?! WAIT-!"

She was swept away without even the slightest sound of a taunt from Eggman, which only served to unsettle me, because Eggman never missed out on a chance to chastise me, unless he was in a hurry or he really meant business.

_So, this was not a good sign._

"Elise!" I shouted, springing off the ground, refusing to let her out of my sight this time. I was almost about to break out into my full sprint when Silver hit me with his powers again. I felt my legs completely cave from under me, and I stumbled rather ridiculously back to the ground.

"Don't you DARE turn your back on me!" he roared, thundering back over to me. "It's time I finally put an end to this!"

"Put an…end to what!?" I shouted back, turning to face him as I writhed on the ground. "What do you want from me?! Did you NOT just see the Princess of Soleanna get kidnapped AGAIN?! I have to save her!"

Silver actually seemed hesitant at this; I seized the opportunity to jump at him.

"This is your fault! If you hadn't ambushed me for no good reason, I wouldn't have let her get taken away again!"

I ended up pushing him, which brought him out of his hesitance. The fury rose in his eyes again, his hand glowed, and he forcibly pushed me back to the ground in a furious green glow. I let out a small yelp as my face hit the cement, cringing at the force of his powers nearly crushing me.

"No good reason? No good reason?! I'm trying to save the world!" he yelled back at me, almost crazed. "I can't let you get away! I have to kill you!"

"No you don't!" I insisted, once again in an undesirable and restrained position. "Nothing good ever comes from snuffing out someone's life…is there not another way to solve your problems without labeling yourself as a murderer?"

Silver paused, again, but raised his hand regardless as his eyes became downcast.

"I've tried many other things, but I'm not strong enough to get rid of Iblis myself…"

My voice sounded pleading at this point; I really didn't know how else to get through to his aside from talking him down. Clearly fighting him hadn't worked, and as I was refrained from moving, my words were going to have to serve as my last defensive against him.

"…but do you really have to kill me?"

Silver cringed and looked away, but it was only temporary, and he suddenly came back in full force. "Stop making me pity you! You're the reason the world comes to an end, and I can't let that happen! …and if there was another way, I wouldn't have to resort to this to begin with…"

I wasn't about to go out without a fight, but Silver kept me in place as he charged a psychic attack in his hand. I almost feared that the green glow of his hand would be the last thing I saw-

"Stop!"

…and then someone intervened.

I almost thought Elise had somehow escaped, seeing as the voice was female, but Silver let up on his grip just enough to allow me to look over my shoulder, and saw Amy Rose standing between me and my would-be assassin.

"Amy?" Silver asked, sounding stunned. I managed to turn completely around and shoot a disbelieving glance at Amy.

"You KNOW this guy!?"

"We…traveled together for a bit," Amy explained, tossing her short quills over her shoulder. "Why? Jealous of me spending time with another guy?"

"No, but I'd prefer if your future boyfriend didn't have an agenda to kill me."

"I AM still single, you know-"

"Get out of my way, Amy," Silver snapped slowly, and for once I could thank the interruption. "This is my mission!"

Amy became fierce, rapidly shaking her head. "Abso-_lutely_ NOT!"

Silver was struck speechless as Amy stood her ground, allowing me to escape. She was determined to serve as a barrier between Silver and I, and as I had seen her hammer in action plenty of times before, I knew she'd be able to hold her own. Once I was back on my feet, I turned to Amy and gave her a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Amy. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, Sonic," Amy hummed, turning back to glare at Silver, who suddenly sported the look of a wounded dog. "Just leave it to me!"

I booked it out of there before anything could get even worse…and thankfully, I got away with my life.

_This time, anyway._


	6. Memories of the Three Musketeers

**wintersedge7**: Thank you very much! And as thanks, I will be more than happy to oblige. ;D

**Katz4**: Definitely not one of Sonic's best days. And it only gets worse. XD

**werewolf lover99**: Maybe, maybe not. *shrug*

. . .

**Well, a few of you know how long I've been waiting for this one! And I'm only just now realizing the length... But it's a good one, I promise! :D**

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 5: Memories of the Three Musketeers

As much as I wanted to get as far away from Silver as I possibly could, I knew that going after the robot that snatched Elise was more important…

_I just had no idea where it went thanks to Silver!_

"Oooh, where's Tails with conveniently helpful yet sometimes obvious information when you need him…?"

I was about to just start running around aimlessly through the city when I overheard a group of citizens yelling at each other. Out of my simple curiosity, I slunk my way over and tried to make it appear as though I _wasn't_ eavesdropping.

"Eggman's mechs have appeared in the New City!" a man with a top hat and a monocle exclaimed. "This is terrible! We need to let everyone know right away!"

_Well, so much for something helpful._

Although, maybe it was… I asked another nearby civilian where the "New City" was, and they pointed me in the direction of a large and fancy-looking turquoise door that was guarded by two men dressed in black. I sprinted over there immediately and tried to run straight on through, but both guards stepped into my path and clotheslined me.

"Argh, what the hey? I was almost KILLED and now I have to deal with THIS?!"

_Today's just not my day…_

"My apologies sir, but as one of Doctor Eggman's mech's was seen flying in this direction, citizens are advised to stay out of the area until the threat is controlled," the guard on the right tried to explain, but I wasn't having any of it. I sighed, stood straight, and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I AM trying to control the threat! And by the way, that threat has your princess, and most importantly, don't call me sir!"

The guard on the left stood his ground and kept a poker face.

"I am sorry, but if you want any hope of getting through, then you are going to have to talk to our captain…and THAT'S if you can find him!"

"…is that a challenge?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because challenge _accepted_."

I spun away from then and bolted off, creating a big enough gust of wind to send them flying into the door itself. Probably not my nicest action…but in hindsight, it was pretty funny.

. . .

Eventually I located a group of guards and policemen, and I suspected that the captain MUST'VE been amongst them. I approached them with some swag in my step; they just stared at me like I was an alien or something.

"…what?" I asked, folding my arms. "Never seen a walking talking blue hedgehog before?"

Some of the guards were taken aback, but one stepped forward and adjusted the large hat on his head.

"Can't say we have, son. But, there's a first time for everything, no?"

I puffed out my cheeks and shrugged. "I guess not…but shouldn't you be taking action toward finding your princess and getting her home safely?"

"What do you think we're working on?" the man asked, remaining poised as he answered my questions with an authoritative flair. "We were just about to launch a squad into the New City to go secure her, until you came along…"

"Well great!" I stated brightly gesturing back in the direction of the door. "So, can you give the guards over there permission to let me in, right?"

"That would be the captain's job," the man told me, narrowing his eyes. "My name is Pietro, and I am one of five soldiers in this town. One of the soldiers is the captain, but you're going to have to play a little game to find him…you'll have to talk to all the soldiers, but they might try to trick you, so be careful. But if you can figure out who it is, come back and talk to me."

I mentally groaned at the thought of having to scramble around the town and talk to even more people…but then I realized, why would I have to report back to this Pietro guy when I found the captain, if I could just get the captain's permission right then and there?

Grimacing, I snapped my fingers and pointed at Pietro.

"Gotcha."

Pietro raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh? Have you found the identity of the captain so soon?"

"Cut the games, guy. It's you- you tried to trick me, just as you hinted at. I wasn't born yesterday, and I'm in a bit of a hurry, so if you, the captain, could just let me into the New City…"

Pietro was silent, until he smirked at me and folded his arms. "You guessed correct; I'm the captain. I am indeed the one who tricked you."

_Okay, you're the only one I talked to…and you didn't really trick me if I got it right away, soooo…_

"I didn't want anyone else involved in Soleanna's business, but you seem deeply concerned for our monarch, and you appear to have the strength…I will ask you on behalf of all our guards: please help us save our princess."

I was still a little frustrated at the rigmarole I was put through just to get to this point, but me being me, I smiled and gave the man a salute.

"You didn't even have to ask."

. . .

On my way back over to the turquoise door to rub the captain's permission in the guards' faces, my communicator went off, and to my relief, it was Tails, who I hadn't heard from since yesterday. I answered immediately, eager to talk to a familiar face.

"Yo, Tails! What's up? How'd diverting Eggman go?"

"Well, I managed to keep him at bay until this morning," he explained from the other end. "But he sent one of his robots to go retrieve Elise, and I couldn't stop it…I take it he got her though; the police force is in an uproar again."

"Yeah, snatched her right from under my nose, thanks to some white furred homicidal maniac named Silver trying to kill me."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeaaaah, I have NO idea what this guy's problem was; he really wouldn't tell me anything other than calling me an 'Iblis Trigger' and saying that I had to die in order to prevent the destruction of the world…seriously, what's an Iblis Trigger? Some kind of mental disorder?"

"That's terrible!" Tails shrieked, ignoring my semi-sarcastic question. "Are you all right?"

"Eh, I'm fine, though I guess I should attribute the credit to Amy," I explained. "I guess she was travelling with the guy for a bit, but as soon as he attempted to kill me…well, let's just say she wasn't having ANY of that."

"I wonder what brings her to Soleanna though," pondered Tails, sounding curious. "…oh jeez, I hope she didn't follow _me_ again-!"

"Er, what?"

"Don't worry about it," Tails answered quickly. "Anyway, where are you now?"

"I'm about to enter the New City, right after I give some guards a piece of my mind," I replied. "…which reminds me, where are YOU?"

"The New City. I entered it right before Eggman's mech took Elise, and they were still letting the average tourist in."

_Of course._

"I'm here because Knuckles contacted me, and he wants us to meet him by the warehouse. He has something of great importance to tell us!"

"Why couldn't he do it over the communicator?"

"He said it was too complicated. Just hurry up and meet up with me so we can go to the warehouse!"

"Okay, okay, calm down…I'll be there in a Sonic Second," I assured, and Tails hung up. Lowering my wrist, I could only shake my head. First Amy had gotten herself tangled up in affairs, and now Knuckles, King of "Never Leaves his Island", was here to tell me something?

_I wasn't sure whether this was a relief, or just the tip of the iceberg of trouble…_

Regardless, I marched my way back to the turquoise door, and as soon as the two guards saw me, they scrambled and scuttled to open the way forward as quickly as they could. I climbed the steps up to it and smirked.

"Now, that's more like it…!"

They just muttered amongst themselves as I casually walked through the door.

. . .

Upon entering the New City, it immediately dawned on me that I hadn't the slightest idea where the warehouse was, nor did I want to ask any locals…Although, thanks to Eggman's influence, all the locals had been corralled out, seeing that the area was pretty empty.

"At least I won't have to play another dumb mind game," I scoffed, trying to depict what possible direction Knuckles might be in. I started jogging off toward my right, but hearing my name behind me, I braked immediately to a stop.

"Sonic!" Tails called, flying over at a breakneck pace. I nearly melted with relief.

"Ah Tails, you have NO idea how happy I am to see you right now-!"

"We can catch up later," Tails stated, instantly pointing off in the direction that he came from (the opposite of the one I was headed in, at that). "Eggman's robots…there's a horde of them heading toward the warehouse where Knuckles is!"

"Do you know where that is?"

"Um, yeah," Tails responded obviously, and I held up my hands. "I wanted to find you first since you seem to have a knack for getting lost lately."

"It's been a long day already," I sighed, starting to run towards the warehouse. "And it's only going to get longer…"

Tails only shrugged and led the way, leading me over tall fences, walls of crates, and around many corners, finally reaching the other side of the New City where a gang of Eggman's drones were romping about and tearing the place apart like they were looking for something. Tails landed on the ground and pulled out a bomb, tossing it at them and getting their attention.

Two had been caught in the blast, but the other had turned on Tails almost instantly, with me sliding in front of him and balling my fists.

"Look, you group of broken toasters! I've had a rough day, and I've been saving this pent up frustration for something worth taking it out on!" I cracked a smirk. "And I think I just found it."

I rushed at all the enemies on the ground at top speed, stopping on a dime and blowing them all away with the aftermath gust of wind. Tails flew along the current I created, gaining ground and speed on the enemies. He launched a bomb at an explosive crate from above, which served to destroy literally every robot within range.

"Nice!" I called, although more robots came out from around the corner. Some could fly, some had cannons, and some were huge with a lot of armor. I measured my chances as I climbed along an untouched pile of crates. "Yo Tails, go for the flying ones! I'll clear out the ones on the ground!"

"No problem!" Tails exclaimed back, sailing straight for the airborne foes and attacking with sweeps of his namesakes. Knowing that he had those in the bag, I could focus on getting rid of the other ones. A good fight, one that I KNEW I could win, was exactly was I needed right then.

I curled up into a ball and plowed into robot after robot, taking them down like bowling pins in rapid succession. My trail of destruction was cut off by one of the heavier robots stepping in my path and firing at me. I uncurled instantly and backpedaled, only to bump into a drone from behind.

"…heh heh, nice meeting you here-"

It let off a loud wailing sound, alerting its buddies to the scene with blasters at the ready. Even Tails was a little overwhelmed with just the flying ones- they were able to evade his _bombs_ rather easily, and they were now swarming over to me in spades…

"I…may have bitten off more than I can chew…"

"No kidding, hedgehog."

My ears perked, and I chanced a glance to the sound of a voice coming from above me, and was pleasantly surprised to find Knuckles standing at the top of a building- or at least he was, before he leapt off of it with his fist extended toward the ground. He landed in front of me and punched the ground; I jumped just in time to miss the shockwave the force of his strike created.

The robots weren't nearly as fortunate.

"Yeah, Knux! Welcome to the party!"

"I could say the same to you," Knuckles huffed, grabbing a nearby metal crate and hurling it at the airborne drones. "I've been waiting here all day, and then these guys felt the need to show up and cause trouble!"

"Why are you here to begin with Knuckles?" I asked as I sliced a kick through another clunker, sending its pieces to the ground. Knuckles grunted and rammed through a small group of them before grabbing another one and hurling it into several more.

_I had to admit, he certainly cleaned up fast._

"As much as I love partaking in casual danger dialogue, can we please focus on clearing out this threat first?"

"Oh relax, we're almost done," I stated, bounding over some more crates and taking to the air. "So let's blast 'em all away!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes as he reached for Tails, spinning around and launching him skywards. Tails twirled his tails and revved his leg back, waiting for the right moment to strike. I curled up into ball form and awaited the strike- Tails hit the nail on the head and sent me ricocheting all around, bounding off the heads of any and all remaining robots in the area.

"Woo hoo!" I cried when I came back down, pumping my fists and dancing in small circles. "Ah, nothing rejuvenates like a good robot battle!"

Tails and I then turned to Knuckles, who was stubbornly folding his arms and staring at the ground intently. He was waving some kind of red card in his hand, which piqued my interest.

"…the Master Emerald was going crazy last night," he began, concern clouding his expression. "There have been two extreme usages of a variant of Chaos Control, with not only huge jumps in time, but also large teleportation through space. I came down here this morning to try and find what the cause of it was, but I'm suspecting Eggman."

"There's also that Silver guy; maybe he has something to do with it!" Tails pointed out.

"…Silver?"

"Guy who tried to kill me," I answered quickly for Knuckles. A smirk played on his face.

"Huh, looks like someone is trying to beat me to it…"

"Oh ha," I huffed, giving Knuckles a shove. "This guy was seriously out for my blood, thinking it'd prevent the destruction of the world or something."

Knuckles was dangerously aloof about this. "Maybe you were just a little too reckless one day and plunged the world into despair. I mean, you came pretty close to wiping out a city back at the Power Plant in Grand Metropolis-"

"Knuckles, no!" I hissed, and he shut up. "He was legitimately scared that I would bring such devastation to the world, and I don't know what would make him think that…but if he has anything to do with the Chaos Controls the Master Emerald picked up…"

"It's too early to assume- Chaos Control is a rare ability that few living beings can utilize," Tails pointed out. "Shadow can do it due to the extreme amounts of Chaos Energy in his body, and…I still haven't entirely sorted YOU out, Sonic-"

"Life and death situations do that to a person," I retaliated. Tails gave me a look, and I only shrugged. "…natural talent, Tails- plus I need at least one Chaos Emerald."

"Anyway," Knuckles coughed and interrupted, waving that red card again. "I saw Eggman on the outskirts of the city. He wanted me to give this to you."

Knuckles threw it at me like he was trying to hit me in the head, but I simply lifted my hand and let the card slide neatly into my grasp. He seemed surprised as Tails and I took a closer look at it, only for a holographic video of Eggman to emerge from the card.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," he began with that pompous and dramatic flair. I stuck out my tongue. "If you want me to return the princess, you must give me your Chaos Emerald. Meet me at my base in White Acropolis."

The hologram closed out, and I lowered the card disdainfully.

"Oh joy, another 'Chaos Emerald Trade' trap…does he really think I don't see this coming? I nearly died the last time," I huffed, shaking my head as I tossed the card back in Knuckles' direction. His large mitten-covered hands fumbled with catching it, only to drop it on the ground.

_Heh heh. _

"He is pretty cocky," Knuckles sneered, nonchalantly stepping on the card like it was all part of his grand design. "Definitely a trap."

"He's not even going to give Elise back anyway- she told me that there's something from her that he needs…"

"Eggman never honors his agreements," Tails muttered under his breath. "Please don't fall for it this time, Sonic…we almost lost you once today as it is; there's no need to gallivant into MORE trouble…"

"Oh, I'm going," I stated confidently, staring deeply into the blue emerald that Elise once possessed. Tails seemed disappointed by my choice and drooped his ears.

"Sonic…"

I simply smirked and twirled the emerald around in my hand. "Since Eggman went to the trouble of telling me where Elise is, I think I should thank him personally…"

Knuckles rolled his eyes and shook his head in Tails direction; Tails stampeded in front of me with his hands splayed out.

"Sonic, think about this…nothing good can come out of this if we go!"

"We can get Elise back and bring Eggman's ego down a notch," I responded instantly. Knuckles grunted and clenched his fists.

"Maybe we should knock YOUR ego down a few pegs! …and who's Elise?"

I turned to face him with a hand on my hip. "Only the princess of Soleanna, and Eggman wants something from her that I can't let him have, and it's something to do with some sorta Flames of Disaster…"

"So that vague description of a girl is worth marching straight into Eggman's base where you could possibly get vaporized?"

"Yes."

_Why were they so against this?!_

Tails had his eyes closed and was nervously scratching his ear. "Isn't there another way to save Elise without having to entertain Eggman's wishes? I mean, you know where she is, so just sneak in there, grab her, and get back out!"

"If someone gave you a personal invitation to party, would you be so rude as to decline?" I retaliated and Tails smacked his forehead. "Besides, what fun is there in sneaking around when you can waltz right in and break a door down or two?"

"Subtly never was your strong point," Knuckles sighed, turning back around and shrugging. "White Acropolis is to the north; I passed it on my way here. Eggman's base must've been that heavily guarded building I saw in the distance."

"Why are you telling him this?!" Tails exclaimed, his tails going straight out in protest. Knuckles narrowed his eyes and waved a hand in my direction.

"Because this idiot clearly isn't going to change his mind, and obviously he hasn't learned from the last time!" He folded his arms and quirked an eyebrow at Tails. "Unless you think you can reverse engineer a fake emerald in the time it takes us to get to the base?"

Tails cringed and frowned at the thought; I just walked between them with my head held high and made my way to the north of Soleanna.

"Well I'm going whether you are or not. I'm saving Elise one way or another, and if this is how I have to do it, then so be it!"

Tails and Knuckles stared at each other for the longest time, with Tails instantly running up behind me with a panicked tone to his voice.

"I'm right behind you, Sonic!"

To my surprise, Knuckles was tagging along right behind _him_, not looking very happy but concerned regardless. I glanced over my shoulder and stared at him curiously.

"…what? Coming along to insist on changing my mind?"

"No," he huffed, casting his gaze even lower. "It's just…the last time you went to make a deal with Eggman, I hadn't been there… and when you had Chaos Controlled in front of me and landed in that sorry state…it made me wish there was something more I could do."

"Aw, Knuckles- you DO care!"

"Shut up," he snarled, but a slight smirk played on his expression. "…besides, it'd be pretty pointless for me to come all the way down from my island just to give you a message- if I'm going to be down here, I might as well do what I can to help the cause…though I fear that doing this with YOU will be the end of me…"

"Love ya too, buddy," I teased, and he leaned forward and punched me in the shoulder. "But anyway, with the three of us united together, Eggman won't be able to stand up to a triple threat like us!"

Knuckles appeared to simmer down after hearing me say that, and Tails, with reinvested assurance in me, started to laugh.

"Eggman's going to really be in for it when he sees all three of us ready to overhaul his deal!"

I simpered to myself and started to run faster.

"Oh trust me, guys…there will definitely be no compromise this time."

_Cuz I wasn't going to let that happen._

. . .

Knuckles led us to the far side of the New City, where there was a cave that led out into the cold frozen tundra that was White Acropolis. A few robots were guarding the entrance, but they were no sweat to take care of.

_What WAS a sweat was how cold it was!_

"Actually, how can you sweat if it's cold…?" asked Knuckles.

"Cold sweat?" suggested Tails.

I sighed and glanced over my shoulder. "Guys, can we try to focus? This snow is up to my knees; there's no way I can run in this!"

"So we trudge…?" Knuckles suggested, and I swatted at him.

"That'll take too long!"

"Well you should have thought this through a little more before plowing forward with this idea of yours-"

I was really getting ready to deck him, but Tails suddenly jumped between us and pointed over a hill.

"Guys look! There's a snowboard rental shop over there!"

My eyes lit up at this new development; Knuckles glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and winced.

"Oh, he is NOT thinking about-!"

**Three Minutes Later-**

I was standing atop the coolest looking cobalt blue snowboard with black accents, Tails was flying overhead, and Knuckles was doing his best to hang onto my shoulders and balance behind me.

"Now this is happening!" I yelled into the blistering cold winter winds, the bitter cold no longer bothering me as I sailed over the snow.

"This is horrendous, if anything!" exclaimed Knuckles, getting thrashed around with all the sharp turns I was making around the trees.

"Well, this IS the fastest way to get to Eggman's base," Tails added. "I just don't know what to expect when we get there…"

Frankly, neither did I. Eggman was being dangerously careful and cautious with his plan this time around, plus the mere fact that I let him get Elise more than once was driving me mad. Aside from his initial attack on the city and his robots running amok everywhere, Eggman had hardly done anything grandiose…and I could only wonder what he was working on, and what it would mean for me when I got there.

Still, having Tails and Knuckles along eased my wondering a little bit, except for the fact they would feel much better if I turned right around and didn't even bother going to this base. But jeez, if one of them was stuck in there, you couldn't_ pay_ me to avoid the place! Elise was my friend now, and I don't let anything bad happen to my friends if I can help it.

I then noticed that Tails was Knuckles weren't musing amongst themselves- they tended to do that whenever I drifted into my own little thoughts, but both of them were currently silent.

_They've probably said all that they wanted to._

"…are you guys mad that I'm doing this?"

"Nope," replied Knuckles, and I smiled. "Just incredibly annoyed and irritated."

"It's so obviously a trap!" exclaimed Tails, and I started to sulk again.

"Well stop worrying! I'm not going to give Eggman the emerald if I can help it; I'm just going to break Elise out."

"But you KNOW he's anticipating that from you; regardless of his failures, he DOES have an IQ of three hundred for Chaos' sake," Tails insisted.

"Can we just change the subject? We're on our way to the base anyway; reminding me exactly why I don't want to go is only going to aggravate me more," hummed Knuckles.

I jerked the snowboard a bit to the left, launching a spray of snow into Knuckles' face. Tails tried to repress a few giggles; Knuckles just steamed and brushed as much as he could off of his muzzle. Smirking in spite of myself, I leaned to the right and made my way over to a nearby ramp that reached over nearly all the trees.

"If you hated that, you're going to LOVE this!"

Knuckles leaned around me, and I could tell his eyes were widening on what I was about to do.

"Sonic, no, NO-! Do NOT go over that-!"

"Here we go!"

Tails simply flew over the ramp, but he did stop to gawk when I sped over it with a speed demon's look, with Knuckles latched to my back screaming at the top of his lungs. Tails just looked on for the longest time before bursting out laughing. To add insult to injury, I performed several midair tricks and flips in the air, and I thought Knuckles was going to break my spine in two with how hard he was gripping.

"Relax, dude," I scoffed, landing perfectly back in the snow and pushing forward once more. "Maybe one day you'll be doing those tricks too!"

"Or maybe one day you'll have a broken neck," scoffed Knuckles, but he finally uncrushed my stomach.

"The day I break a leg is the day pigs fly," I insisted, though both Tails and Knuckles gave me incredulous looks. "…what? I said_ pigs_, not echidnas or foxes."

I continued swerving down the alpine, and I almost would've thought I was at a ski resort of sorts had the circumstances been different. Instead, nope, we were making our way across several snowy hills at night just break into a madman's base.

_Just a day in the life of me._

I rode off the side of the cliff, Knuckles tensing again as I twirled about in the air, even turning upside down just for kicks.

"And who said I couldn't fly?!" I chuckled, flipping myself back around and alighting on the ground once more. Knuckles was grumbling behind me.

"Why'd I agree to do this…?"

"Cuz it's faster!" I exclaimed, gaining speed as we careened down a slope. I was happily enjoying my extreme winter sports when Tails suddenly cringed.

"Uh guys, don't look now but we've got company…!"

"Figured they'd show up sooner or later," Knuckles huffed, and I realized they were talking about the Egg Shooters that were crawling over the horizon. Grinning, I turned the board right at one of the clunkers and kicked off, plowing straight through it and turning it into shrapnel.

"Eggman always did favor a welcome wagon," I commented, brushing by the debris left scattered in the snow.

"You can't possibly hope to take them all on with just the snowboard, can you?" Knuckles asked as I jumped onto a grind rail and shredded across it.

"Well, I don't want to lose my momentum…"

"Leave it to me then…" Knuckles grunted with his eyes rolled, and he backflipped off the snowboard before burrowing into the snow. I had to adjust to the sudden loss of weight, while Tails hovered around trying to figure out where Knuckles went. He was almost immediately shot out of the air, and flinched when a pack of robots crept over the hill.

"Here it comes…!" he shrieked, pulling out one of his bombs.

"No, Tails, wait!" I exclaimed, then pointed forward. We both watched as Knuckles quite literally dug himself into the middle of the fray, drawing all the robots' attention at him. He then proceeded to whirl around in a tornado of swipes and punches, and all I could really comprehend out of that was the pieces of metal flying everywhere. Knuckles eventually burrowed underground again, cropping back up beneath the robots and sabotaging them from below.

"That's right! Give them a knuckle sandwich!" I shouted, just as Knuckles clobbered off one of their heads. He gave me a bewildered look, which turned to shock when he was spontaneously toppled over by his foes.

"Don't distract me, Sonic!" he called back, finally finishing off the last of the robots. I took another look at him and snickered. "…what?!"

"You're covered in snow," I snorted, laughing uncontrollably. Knuckles simply fumed and scooped up a huge helping of snow in his massive palm, packing it into a snowball and hurling it at me.

Next thing I knew, a cold, wet bullet of revenge had plowed into my stomach, knocking me right of my snowboard and into a pile of snow. Now it was Knuckles' turn to mock me.

"Ha, now THAT'S funny!"

I struggled to fight my way out of the deep snow, so thankfully Tails swooped over and lent me a hand. Sputtering out snow, I glanced up and gave Tails a wink.

"Thank you, Tails. Nice to know ONE of my friends is looking out for me!"

"Uh, yeah, well, you totally deserved the snowball Sonic," Tails mumbled afterward, and Knuckles fell to the ground in a howling fit.

_The world is against me…_

"Anyway, we don't have time for messing around," Tails continued, setting me back on the snowboard. "We're getting close to the base- look at how many search lights there are!"

"Yeah, but why are a few of them broken…?" wondered Knuckles.

"We'll find out more once we're there," I stated, pushing off my snowboard again. Tails returned to the air as Knuckles tried trudging through the snow, but seeing as it really was a slower method of transport, he hurried over and glided onto the snowboard. I glanced over my shoulder and smirked at him.

"I knew you'd come back-"

"Shut up and move!" he yelled back, gesturing ahead. "We've got a new problem…!"

Turning forward again, what could only be described as several rolling snowballs were coming our way, rolling back and forth across the area like they were _trying_ to crush us!

"Talk about getting the ball rolling…!"

"Well, this is it. Death by multiple giant snowballs," Knuckles murmured under his breath. I swatted at him.

"We are not going to die! Just hang on!"

I swerved around them ridiculously easily, proving that Knuckles had next to nothing to worry about.

"See? Too easy! Piece of cake!"

"Ah, yes, too easy…" Knuckles grumbled nervously, feeling him shift to look at something behind him. I scoffed and hung my head.

"Dude, why are you still so shaken up? We got through it! Calm down!"

"Yes, but we've got a new threat behind us!" Knuckles exclaimed, now yanking on my shoulder. I didn't believe this for a second.

"Okay, is this like that giant wheel thing back at Ocean Palace? Because that was over a year ago, and it was only funny once."

"Wha-? WHY do you think everything's a joke!? Just look behind you!"

I looked over to Tails, who even in midair looked visibly panicked at whatever was approaching from behind us. Sighing, I eventually darted my gaze behind me, and behind Knuckles' massive head was a giant snowball coming full charge down the slope, ready to blaze over me and continue on its merry way.

"…why does everything want to crush me?" I winced, before kicking off the ground and propelling the snowboard faster. Knuckles' extra weight contributed fantastically, and Tails eventually got behind Knuckles and pushed, twirling his tails to propel us even faster.

"If you would just listen to Tails and I every once in a while, maybe these things wouldn't happen!"

A few robots ended up falling victim to the monster snowball, and I was surprised that it hadn't completely gained on us.

"Knuckles, lay off! All you've done since you got here was yell at me!"

The snowball was getting so close that it started to rumble, and the ground was quaking beneath my board.

"Well if your little 'quirks' weren't so troublesome, then maybe I wouldn't get fed up, and MAYBE I wouldn't have to yell at you to get my point across!"

I swear the snowball was starting to take trees down with it.

"This is SO not the place for this…!" Tails exasperated, eyes glued on the snowball behind us. "…oh my goodness!"

All three of us looked up to see the snowball right above our heads, casting a shadow that covered a wide radius.

It was also here that our snowboard randomly stopped.

"What?! Come on, move, MOVE…!"

"Soniiiiiiic!" wailed Knuckles, sensing the snowball only a few moments way from capturing us.

In one last ditch effort attempt to get out of the way, and with no idea WHY the snowboard stopped, I attempted to boost myself forward out of the snowball's range, and Tails started twirling his tails overtime. We were just barely out of the way before Knuckles jammed his fists into the ground, using that as a fulcrum to launch us forward even more.

And we took _off_.

"WAAAAAH!"

The three of us were hanging onto each other and screaming and getting hit in the face with pile after pile of snow, and I honestly could barely see where I was going. It was a miracle I managed to swerve around rocks and trees!

_What I wouldn't give for ski goggles._

Finally, the snowball eventually veered onto a different course, which elicited cheers from the three of us, but then we found we were going straight for the entrance to Eggman's base…and we returned to screaming.

"Stop this thing! Stop this thing!" Knuckles chanted, and I eventually managed to jerk the snowboard around enough to pull it to a stop…and fling us all into the snow. I planted face first into a snow pile, Tails was flung straight into a scrawny-looking bare tree, and Knuckles ended up landing on a rock.

"…ow," he muttered, groaning and moaning afterward. I poked my head out of the pile and grinned.

"Well, that was fun!"

"I really hate your idea of fun…" Knuckles sighed.

"Hey! Someone help me!" Tails shouted from his tree, wedged perfectly between two close branches. I tried my best to stifle my laughter for him and I tried to tug him out. "Hey, HEY! It's not working! Try pushing!"

I started to push, but I think that just made him even more stuck…

"Argh…!"

"Sorry buddy," I chuckled, scratching the back of my head. All I could see from him was his flailing arms and legs. Knuckles eventually peeled himself up off the rock, stretched, and thundered on over.

"Good lord, let me do it…"

"What!? No, no, pushing is fine, Knuckles-!"

With a hearty yell, Knuckles revved his fist back before slamming it into the tree, and for a second, nothing but the tree shaking and Tails grunting happened. I was about to heckle Knuckles' "brilliant" attempt, but then, there was a sharp crack, and all three of us froze.

The tree split from where Knuckles had punched it and up, and miracles being miracles, it spliced right between the two branches Tails was trapped in, separating and allowing him to topple safely out of the tree. I sped over in a couple of steps and caught him before he completely hit the ground.

"Thanks…" he murmured, falling limp.

"Oh, with the theatrics…!"

"Like you're one to talk," Knuckles commented with a sneer. I glowered back at him before turning to the base entrance. It was surprisingly open, meaning that we could easily waltz right in.

Just as I planned.

"This is such a cold place to put a base though," I said aloud, setting Tails down and starting to make my way in.

"Evidently Eggman REALLY wanted to be secluded this time to work on something," Tails deduced.

I wanted to hope that wasn't true as I sped down the path and dodged the robots and spiked balls, catching sight of the mountainous region in the distance. And yet, I could hope all I wanted to, but nothing could change the fact that Eggman's scheme was one that was destined to hurt everyone involved…

_Yet that was just about everything he came up with. _

A few times I came across an ice wall in our way, and while I could've easily rammed my way through it, Knuckles wanted to stay relevant by punching our way through, which I wasn't entirely against either. Maybe it was a subtle way for him to apologize for how he treated me earlier…?

_Or maybe I was REALLY too hopeful today. _

The three of us even tag teamed gangs of robots in our way, which sort of took me back to the days of previous adventures. We truly were an unstoppable force when working together, taking on enemies, traveling the land, saving people…and it was awesome.

In truth, I would rather work alone, but not for selfish reasons…I just can't stand it when I think (or KNOW) that I'm putting my friends into the path of danger, or that they get hurt because of me… I'm not trying to steal the spotlight or look good, it's just that if something needs to be done, and if someone's going to get hurt…it should be me, because I'm the one that drags everyone into the messes we get in.

_And now, I was wondering what sort of mess would be waiting for us inside Eggman's base._

I was torn, though- I really wanted to heed Tails and Knuckles' suggestions for me to NOT go to White Acropolis, but then I'd be abandoning Elise, and she was my friend too. I knew that Elise needed my help more than I needed my OWN safety, so going after her had been priority one. Tails and Knuckles just didn't see it my way.

_Sometimes it was lonely having a unique perspective._

"Sonic? Sonic!" Tails exclaimed at me, and I blinked out of my thoughts.

"…yes?" I asked, now fully back in reality. Tails just looked curiously at me.

"You've been spacing out like that a lot lately…you've never really done that before."

"Oh, uh really?" I replied awkwardly, with Knuckles smacking his forehead. "I…haven't noticed."

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to point out that the way ahead is sort of blocked, so I was going to go ahead and scout out the place. I wanted to know if Knuckles should come too."

I was a tad stunned at the initiative, but I smiled and ruffled his hair. "Nah, I think you can handle this yourself, unless you _want_ Knuckles. Otherwise he can stick around with me and keep me company."

"I'm just the company now…?" I heard Knuckles complain in the background. Tails eventually nodded and twirled his tails, lifting himself up into the air.

"I'll go on from here!"

**S-T**

In truth, Sonic and Knuckles were pulling most of the weight on our little adventure through White Acropolis, and I wanted to contribute too. While leaving them alone together probably wasn't my wisest idea, I still wanted to go ahead and scope the place out.

Knowing Eggman, and suspecting that his seclusion in these cold wintry mountains was so outsiders like us would have a hard time getting in, I knew that he must've had some sort of extra security. He had security all over the place in his previous bases; why wouldn't he now? And seeing how gung ho Sonic was to jump in and get in…I had to do something to ease the journey just a little bit.

…_I still didn't even want to be in there, but the princess still needed our help…_

Sonic tried to claim that he wouldn't fall for the same trap twice; tried to assure me that he wouldn't give the emerald up…but we both knew that Elise's life was more important than the gem, and I knew he was going to give to him if that was the only way.

_But Eggman won't obey; I know he won't!_

Sonic doesn't know what it was like to watch that canister fall on top of him, separating him from Amy and I… he doesn't know how painful it was to watch him act all calm for our sake when his heart was clearly racing in his chest… He had left me in charge, and he had left Amy in tears, and we had to watch as he was jettisoned into space with a smile on his face…and we thought he was going die!

I beat Eggman a new one for that, but it was more out of anger than any sense of justice…

And all I wanted was for that to not happen again. Sonic's has more close calls than I can count, and just more than I can take…

...but if I don't let him try to do what's right, how can I call myself his friend?

I floated on with my lips pursed into a thin line, flying deeper into Eggman's stronghold, wishing that I wasn't as analytical as I was. Sonic could walk right into the base with the hopes of saving a princess even though he knew it was a trap, and all with a smile, but because I had foreseen the potential consequences, I couldn't make myself justify the action. Knuckles had voiced his opposition to the plan more than I had, but I wasn't as adamant.

"Stop stressing yourself," I tried to tell myself, landing on the ground and readying some bombs. "Sonic doesn't do that, and if he does, I'd never know...I have to think like he would to get through this!"

As I hurled the bombs at some oncoming robots, I sort of realized that I didn't entirely understand the way Sonic thought, even with how long I've known him.

He was a perfect pendulum; he could swing one way or the other and change his mind within a moment's notice. His thoughts were as face paced, direct, yet ever changing as the many paths he ran through in life…and some days I just couldn't keep up. The only thing that ever remained steadfast were his beliefs.

The snow fell from the darkened sky in a soft rain, and as I looked up, I found that I couldn't tell the spots of snow from the stars when they were placed against the black expanse from space. I held out my hand to try and catch some, but the second they hit my hand, they melted and vanished from sight, never to be seen by me again. As I watched the small phenomenon in my hand, I couldn't help but feel a tad melancholic.

Life was ever so short…and in one single moment, all of it could be taken away, so we had to be careful in the choices we made. One wrong step could be the end of us, and we'd vanish, and in the grand scheme of things, we'd be lost among the sea of stars or lose ourselves like a snowflake in the winds of a winter storm…

"_But what is the value of your own life if you can't do something good for another?"_

I'd been stunned when Sonic had told me that, back when we were younger. He had such an attitude that was defiant, definitive, and direct that once made me think that he didn't care at all…but soon, I found that he did care; he had always cared, but he'd been afraid to show it…until one day, when he was thirteen and came home with green eyes and a bright smile that I'd never seen from him before. That apathetic façade he put on for all but me was gone…

_And I'll never tell him this, but I think it was that day that I met him for the first time. Maybe, even, it was the first day he met himself. _

And that's what drove me to be more like him; no longer just 'cause he was fast and could trash robots and let no one stand in his way…but because of the way he thought, the way he loved life and the world and freedom, the way he appreciated everything that was done for him and took nothing for granted. It was a beautiful perspective, and while at times I never could completely understand it, deep down inside me…I felt that what he thought had to be right.

I wanted so much to think the same way…but I was either too smart to fully believe that everything would always turn out okay, or the facts of life had shielded me from what I could be seeing in the world…that what was a life lived long having done nothing compared to a shorter one where all had been done in the time given?

"…I am too young for thoughts like this," I muttered out loud, thankful that no one was around to hear and possibly misinterpret my meaning.

I'd been searching the area for a while now, and I was about to go back and report to Sonic and Knuckles that the way forward was pretty clear, but I noticed that the spotlights sweeping the area would pose as a pretty big problem, so I used my bombs to dispatch them all, working my way forward through the snow and cliffs. At the end of the current path was a large guard robot, standing in front of the next door into the base. It was several times the size of me, and I started to reach for my communicator to call Sonic and Knuckles, and I stopped myself.

"…I can do this," I realized with a blink, craning my neck to look at the robot eye to eye. It didn't quite work, but somehow, I felt less intimidated, even when it took a gallant swing at me. I sprang into the air and propelled myself away to get a better angle on it from the air.

Its weak spot appeared to be the center of the torso, so I got a little closer and produced a bomb, throwing it straight down on the spot. My first try was swatted away, but while it was distracted, I threw another one, hitting it dead on. It only had a few seconds to glance down before spontaneously combusting, and as I landed back on the ground, I had to chuckle a bit.

"That wasn't hard at all!"

I then tapped into my communicator with a broad smile on my face. Sonic picked up first, though I could hear Knuckles angrily ranting in the background.

"Guys, the way forward is officially clear of obstacles! You can meet me at the next door whenever you're ready!"

"Up, over, and out, buddy!" Sonic exclaimed, yelling over the sound of Knuckles. "Darn it, Knux, let's GO-"

That's was all I heard before the communication was disrupted, though I didn't have to wait long, for a mere few moments later, a blue streak had whisked to my location, stopping on a dime and revealing Sonic, with a distressed looking Knuckles standing behind him. Knuckles eventually slid to the ground after letting go of Sonic, grabbing his head.

"The speed…the speed…" he moaned over and over. Sonic appeared a lot less concerned than Knuckles did, instead waving a finger at me.

"I'll take it from here!" he announced, and I stepped back and gestured to the way forward.

"No problem, Sonic."

**T-S **

Tails did a good job clearing out the robots and spotlights on the way there- my quick run with Knuckles went totally smoothly, except for when Knuckles nearly lost his lunch but…er, he's good now. I hope.

"How much farther to this stupid base…?" Knuckles winced, still not clearly sure if it was his head or his stomach that hurt more.

"It's gotta be just through this range of cliffs," Tails explained. "But with Sonic's speed, we'll be there in no time!"

Knuckles suddenly flushed green. "That's what I was afraid of…"

As much as I wanted Knuckles to get some comeuppance for insulting me earlier, I simply took a few steps to the left and gestured to the suspicious-looking entrance I found there.

"Um, I think I'll get you there a little faster than that," I stated with a grin, and Tails let out a light laugh while Knuckles heaved a sigh of relief.

"Great, now let's go get vaporized…" the stubborn red echidna whooped dully. I rolled my eyes as I went to open the door.

"We're not going to get vaporized!" I assured, waltzing right in. "…at least, I really hope not. I hear vaporization really causes you to fall apart."

Tails smacked his head as Knuckles shook his fists at me. "That's not funny, hedgehog…!"

_Heh heh heh._

**S-E**

Being captured by Eggman stinks, let me tell you first hand.

He kept trying to goad me into doing things for him, but I sat poised and silent, which wasn't much different than being at home. Eventually he stopped trying to get me to obey his commands, and instead I was treated to him ranting on about his recent failures.

And I thought_ my_ life was bad. Guess the grass really is greener.

I came up with a few plans of escape, but none were possible with Eggman's watchful eye over me constantly. I knew there was no way I could take him down; he had the advantage in height, natural strength, and…um, size. Not to mention all he had to do was snap his fingers and an army of robots would come running…

Just as Eggman got to the part of his story where he was sending his robot army against an alien overlord, I heard the sound of fast-paced footsteps, and felt my heart jump when I caught that first glimpse of Sonic entering the room. He was accompanied by Tails, and a red creature that I hadn't seen before, but both of them appeared to have Sonic's back…though both appeared reluctant.

"You're late."

That had been Eggman, and the trio dramatically turned their gazes to glare at him, seeing him protected by a pane of glass on an upper lever. The red creature, who I realized must've been that "Knuckles" Sonic mentioned earlier, stepped forward and shook at fist at the doctor.

"Yeah, well, we had to deal with your little pets!" he shouted, and I noted that he was lot more direct in his speech than both Sonic and Tails.

Sonic stepped forward next, a look of seriousness on his face that I hadn't seen before. It was a complete one-eighty from the smiles he was giving to me in the valley, and it was almost jarring…except for the fact that it also seemed natural; like that protective seriousness was just as much Sonic as was his carefree spirit.

_He truly was a juxtaposition. _

"Where's Elise?" he demanded first and foremost, and my heart skipped a beat when he mentioned my name. He didn't ask where the princess was, or what happened to Her Highness...he wanted know where _I_ was; me, _Elise_…just his friend Elise.

"My, aren't we impatient," Eggman scorned, though he wasted no time in reaching behind him and yanking me up to the window. I nearly smacked against the glass with how hard he was manhandling me.

"Sonic…" I winced, not sure what else to say in my current condition. But still, Sonic's mere presence was more than enough to bring light to this dark and depressing room, and in a few moments, I could be free again…!

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles got ready to jump up and bash the glass, but Eggman held me tighter and shook a finger at them.

"Ah, ah, ah! You'd better not move!" he threatened them, and if I could've moved myself I would've jabbed my heel into his foot for being such a rotten man. I struggled a bit, but he restrained me even more, and I moved my gaze back over to Sonic, who appeared fierce, with his fangs poking out the sides of his mouth…

_I think he felt beaten by the circumstances._

"Great, what do we do now?" Knuckles mouthed to Tails, and Tails had no answer, only sweating and darting his eyes from Sonic to Eggman and back again. Sonic himself was almost a little too still, and through his eyes I could see his mind churning for an idea; something to do, some other way…but when he was confronted with the only option, his face fell, and his mouth became nothing but a line on his muzzle.

"Now, the Chaos Emerald…" Eggman demanded, and I saw Sonic's spines go rigid like he'd been threatened. He had started to take a step toward the pedestal for the emerald that had emerged on the floor, producing the gem in all its blue glory…and he completely maintained a poker face.

"Sonic, no!" Tails whisper-hissed, eyes going wide. "You promised you wouldn't…"

"If I even attempt to go after Eggman, he'll hurt Elise," Sonic responded without a twitch in his features, but his nervous tone betrayed his stoic demeanor. "I won't let him hurt her on my watch…not if I can help it…"

Knuckles just hung his head and shook it dejectedly while Tails seemed to hold his breath, biting back something he wanted to yell but knew saying so wouldn't change anything.

"Place it there already," Eggman ordered again, and Sonic continued to slowly step toward it. I tried to tell Sonic not to do it either; I shook my head as hard as I could, trying to convey to Sonic that this was the wrong idea, that I wasn't worth the trouble that Eggman would inevitably cause…

But Sonic finally broke out of his neutral expression, looked up at me, and smiled, all before placing that emerald on the pedestal. The emerald receded back into the floor, and everyone awaited to see what was going to happen next.

_And everything went completely south. _

Eggman nudged me out of the way and dramatically raised his hand, slamming it on a button that was conveniently next to him. Sonic's friends had noticed the notion and tried to move Sonic out of the way…only to become entrapped in a force field along with him.

"I told you! I told you!" Tails blared in a panic, completely beside himself.

"We're getting vaporized…!" wailed Knuckles.

The force field extended from the ceiling all the way down to the floor, rendering escape impossible for any of them. Knuckles wasn't having any of it, trying to punch one of his massive fists through the force field, only for the power of his swing to come back and merely glance off the force field. He stumbled back hard enough for me to realize that it must've been one heck of a punch.

"It's no use," Eggman stated evenly, yet with a condescending flair of arrogance. "It's too powerful for you to overcome."

"What are you doing to them?!" I asked in spite of myself, trying to reach over and hit the button to hopefully turn the force field off. Eggman easily grabbed and clenched my wrist, and I winced and sunk to the ground in an instant.

"Give me a second, and I'll demonstrate," he snarled at me, then pleasantly turned back to Sonic with a sadistic sneer. "Now, allow me to introduce you to my latest creation!"

Sonic was rapidly throwing himself against the edge of the force field, disregarding Eggman's words and trying to break out anyway. I could see that he was wearing himself down with how hard he was fighting against the field, and watching him entrapped like that nearly broke my heart.

"This is the Solaris prototype," Eggman continued, boldly stroking his mustache. I gasped at that, whipping my head to face the doctor.

_Did he just say Solaris…!?_

He then snickered under his breath, eventually ascending into a maddening cackle. He shoved me out of the way and stared down at the three heroes with his delirious smirk, the thought of success making him lose it a little.

"With this machine…I'll be able to control the flow of time itself!"

The doctor threw one large and ugly lever, and right before my very eyes, I saw the three of them get sucked upwards, with Sonic locking his eyes with me one last time before tumbling toward the top of the force field. A blinding light enveloped the room, one so purely white that I had to shield my eyes from it…and the only thing I could sense were the screams of Sonic and his friends.

I forced myself to see what was happening, throwing myself against the glass, but by the time I looked back, all three of them had spontaneously vanished, and I feared the worse as I collapsed to my knees.

_Sonic…Sonic…he was gone…_

I could feel the tears welling behind my eyes, but as much as I wanted the sweet relief of mourning; I simply closed my eyes, clasped my hands, and breathed, trying to calm myself down.

_I can't cry…I can't cry…_

"Rest assured…" Eggman spoke, just as the force field died away. "…they're not dead."

He adjusted his glasses so the gleam reflected on them.

"…yet."

He kept talking, but as I was busy calming myself down, I really didn't care what he said. He had done something horrible to my friend, and the friends of my friend, and I'd never forgive him…not for what he did, not for whatever he was doing to do, and not for whatever he did in the past either!

My breathing was heavy, but Eggman couldn't tell, as he just kept rambling on.

"They've just been teleported by my glorious invention to another time. Who knows where they'll end up? It could be the distant past or far future…but at least I know that you'll NEVER see any of them again!"

That wasn't true…Sonic would come back…he always found a way, and he always came back…

_He promised. _

Eggman just kept pacing the room, ignorant of my despair. "My machine still requires some fine tuning. In fact, what my machine needs in order to be complete is _your_ power…"

_You'll never get it._

"Yes, I can finally complete my plans…now that I have a Chaos Emerald, and you…the Princess of Soleanna."

There he went, putting me on that high pedestal I was always on…and just that notion made me miss Sonic even more, because he never treated me above himself, nor did he treat me below himself, even though he easily could have…

He treated me as an equal, just as I always wanted.

"The Chaos Emeralds and you…that's all I need to revive the Flames of Disaster. And with its power, I will be able to control everything and rule the world."

I remained silent, continuing to stare at the spot where Sonic had disappeared. Eggman noticed my defiance at last and stepped over to me, leaning over my shoulder and twirling his mustache.

"It would be wise to remain on my 'good' side, Princess…"

He then finally proceeded to leave the room, leaving me alone with nothing but my thoughts…

The doctor was so sure that everything was in his favor; that everything was going according to his plan…but I wanted to let him know so bad that he wasn't going to get away with anything…

Because Sonic WILL come back…and he WILL stop him.

_And I will do my part to ensure that it happens._

* * *

**Aaaaand Knuckles has outlived his usefulness. *punts* ...just kidding; like Amy and Blaze, he gets a more integral role later on. **


	7. Memories of the Future

_**SonicSonic54321**_: Thanks! I like tying up the continuity- there's actually a lot there if you're looking hard enough! And if 'looking forward to' means that I've already bought the 3DS version, preordered the Wii U version, and planned a story on that very subject, then yes, I am very much looking forward to Smash 4. XD

_**werewolf lover99**_: Then wait no longer! :D

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 6: Memories of the Future

Eggman didn't even give me the time to kick myself for what I did…!

Chaos, I was NEVER going to hear the end of it from Tails and Knuckles! Them and their "This is trap!" "Don't give him the emerald, Sonic!" "He won't follow his end of the deal!" "You're an idiot!" and "Who's the knucklehead NOW?!"

Heck, even _Elise_ was telling me not to give him the emerald, but when I saw how trapped she was at the time, and how hard Eggman was grabbing onto her…I couldn't help but think that it was the only thing I could do. I had tried to explain myself before making that fateful mistake, but everyone in the room but me seemed aware of the impending danger, and it was Tails and Knuckles that had tried to get me out of harm's way when Eggman hit the button…only to get themselves entangled in that infernal force field themselves...!

I am so STUPID!

What's WRONG with me? Absolutely NOTHING went right!

Elise is still captured, Eggman has her emerald now, and who KNEW where Tails, Knuckles, and I ended up…

Because of freakin' ME!

_We were just lucky to be ALIVE. _

I was only certain of that particular fact because were wailing on our way up, and we were wailing on our way back down. I think I was aware that we were falling toward a metal floor, because I flipped myself upright in the air and landed on one knee and one hand, dismounting perfectly.

_And it was kinda nice to see someone ELSE land on their heads for once…_

Still felt bad about Tails and Knuckles- my numerous face plants from ridiculous heights had given me plenty of experience, and I knew that it was incredibly unpleasant. Knuckles got the worse of it, landing straight down on his skull while Tails had sort of bounced and landed in a sitting position.

"Boy do I feel dizzy…!" Tails sputtered, and I swear I saw his eyes doing somersaults. He remained on the ground, trying to pull himself together while Knuckles and I pulled ourselves to our feet. Knuckles was still rubbing his head, and I couldn't blame him- that stuff HURT.

"Where ARE we?" Tails murmured again, and quite honestly, I couldn't answer, but my quills bristled with the anticipation of someone's thoughts finally clicking and the fingers being pointed straight at me.

_Those fingers would probably belong to Knuckles, but I wouldn't fault Tails if he did so as well._

I really did want to know where we were, but a feminine voice echoing into the silence suddenly snapped the three of us to attention.

"Oh, look who's here! I didn't expect to see you boys."

We finally looked up to see two _completely_ unexpected figures standing above us, residing in a higher room that was once blocked off by glass, but it had been shattered for who knew how long ago…

"Rouge! Shadow!" Tails exclaimed, scrambling to his feet in disbelief. I could barely believe it myself, but there they were, Shadow looking annoyed yet perplexed while Rouge was giddily waving in our direction.

"Hi! Long time no see!"

Tails, Knuckles, and I were ALL bombarded with questions in our minds at that moment, but none of us had the chance to even open our mouths, because Shadow suddenly gained a startled look like he had realized something and sprung at us like we were prey.

"Now hold on. Before we get everything sorted out, I have to know…what day were you guys in White Acropolis?"

_What the heck?!_

Rouge flew down to join Shadow's side, a look of pure bewilderment plastered on her face, and it was only matched by Knuckles' expression.

"How did_ you_ know we were-" the echidna started to stammer, but Shadow cut him off with his stern red gaze.

"We're in the Doctor's base right now," he informed us without a trace of emotion on his face. "And since you arrived in here via this machine, I assume that's where you were before ending up here."

"But if we were there when we ended up here, would we not have left at all…?" Knuckles trailed, his eyes going cross-eyed. "Whaaaat?!"

_Oh, Knuckles…_

With Shadow, I had learned that it was far easier to just go with what he said when he said it, even though that was SUCH a boring way to hold a conversation…but it was also the only way you could ever really get him to talk. Thus, I coughed, stepped forward, and held out my hand.

"We were in Eggman's base two days after the Festival of the Sun…and uh, it was also a year after you defeated the Black Arms too," I explained, wondering where Shadow was going with all this. I was surprised to see him actually release a sigh of relief.

"That's good. That's the same day we were brought here, so essentially we're on the same timeline, which means we won't cause any paradoxes or problems if we tell each other anything."

"Timeline? Paradoxes?" Tails inquired, scratching his ear.

"I'm so lost…" Knuckles moaned, grabbing his head again for a different reason.

_Me too, Knux._

Rouge eventually smiled sadly and floated over to Knuckles, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry sweetie; we'll go outside and show you just what we mean," she hummed. "It's just that…none of you are really going to like it."

I found myself cringing and exchanging a look with Tails and Knuckles. I noted that Knuckles gave me a particularly distasteful look, so I quickly averted my gaze and bit my lip. Thankfully, I was distracted by Shadow motioning to us to get a move on, and we started to follow him out of the base…

_Though with the way my stomach was churning, I didn't think I wanted to see what he wished to show me._

. . .

I nearly broke down when we stepped outside.

We were met with the _horrific_ sight of nothing but ruins and lifeless land…the landscape was devoid of any and all colors but a sullen brown in many shades and hues, and the sky was even set to match. What was once probably a grand a thriving city was now a hollow husk of its former self; no people, no life to give it any sort of vibrancy. The roads, once pathways to new destinations were cracked and broken, no longer leading anywhere. The silence was deafening, aside from the sounds us five made, and the emotionless wind that drove through the air. Feeling it brush against my quills, I wanted it so much to be like that familiar bold and crisp breeze that I remembered; that same powerful gust of air that rolled through the land with a magnificent drive…but it wasn't.

This wind; it felt like it had given up, like no matter where it blew to, desolation was the destination. It didn't have that sense of life, that carefree spirit…it was just sort of _there_, existing but without a purpose, and as someone who melded with the wind on many occasions, I was properly disturbed.

_Chaos, what was I witnessing!?_

"What…what happened here?!" I cried, feeling my heart break at the sight. Knuckles had a twisted expression now, clearly perturbed too, and Tails' ears were drooped and tears lined the edges of his eyes. Knuckles then stormed over to Shadow, manhandled his shoulders, and started to shake him.

"What's going on?!" he demanded to know. I couldn't help but smirk just a tad as Shadow flipped him onto the ground in a single move. He then gritted his teeth and folded his arms.

"We've all been sent over two hundred years into the future," Shadow told us, and I felt myself go tense. "Surprisingly enough, the computer in Eggman's base still works, and it has confirmed both our location…and the date."

"But this…? This doesn't look like White Acropolis at all!" I yelped. "All the snow is gone, and the trees are gone…"

"It's like it was all melted and burned away…" Tails winced. "All that's left is dust, dirt, and ashes…"

"Insane…" was all that came from Knuckles. Rouge sashayed next to him with her arms folded behind her back.

"It's definitely doesn't make me look forward to the future, that's for sure," she commented, and those words struck a very bad chord with me.

I couldn't help but flashback to my confrontation with Silver, a hedgehog who I once thought was crazy for trying to attack me and put me out of the picture. I didn't really think that he meant all those things he said, because how could he possibly know that it was ME who led the world's end…?

"_Your actions will condemn us all!" _

The fires that raged across the lands and burned all the hope and life away…

"_My name is Silver…and for the future of the world, I WILL destroy you! The time has come for you to disappear!"_

…the ruined buildings that no longer scraped against the sky…

"_Why…? Why do you cheer for the world's end?"_

…the lifeless wind that carried on without reason…the roads that once led somewhere now broken…

"_How could someone like YOU cause the destruction of our world?"_

…the missing people, the destroyed world, the practically worthless remains…

"_It…doesn't matter. For the sake of the future, the Iblis Trigger must be destroyed."_

…was it truly _my _fault?

That Silver kid had been scared straight to the core, and this was definitely a sight that would induce nightmares. Him knowing about me and some fate to happen, the Master Emerald picking up on those warps through time, his desire to save the world from being destroyed and prevent what I was looking at right now…my hunch HAD to be correct.

Silver was from the future…but not just any future; this desolate and scorched world, where all the luxuries we had in the past no longer existed, and they hadn't for centuries.

_And according to Silver, this had been my fault, and I couldn't think of one possible reason he would've had to lie, if this was the future he wanted to avoid…_

"Is this truly the destiny in store for the world…?" I susurrated under my breath against my will, my head dropping low as my hand slowly curled into an angry, sad, and frustrated fist. "Has everything I've done in the past...to keep the world safe and on track for a bright future…was it for nothing? Was it _wrong_?"

This was too much too take at once, and I was on the verge of completely losing my nerve right then and there, but it was Shadow who stepped into the middle of the group, a determined look on his face that rivaled my own resolve.

"Like it or not, this IS the distant future, far removed from our own timeline," he stated firmly, and somehow that direct and clear tone of voice got me back to focusing on what was important.

_And it was a nice departure from my depressing realization. _

"The future…" Tails trailed, spinning to face Shadow with realization in his eyes. "…then that means Eggman's machine really CAN control time!"

I tore my gaze from the distorted skyline and punched at the air in a frustrated huff.

"Eggman's got SOME nerve dropping us here…!"

Knuckles was taking all this far better than I was, having calmed down a bit and was kicking a rock around as he mused in his own thoughts.

"Now, how do we get back to our own time?" he wondered aloud and Rouge seemed to have something to say to that, but Shadow nudged her out of the way and turned to face Tails, Knuckles, and me.

"We'll need a space-time rift, but this requires a LOT of energy," he explained, trying to stress the importance. It took me a couple of seconds, but I thought I already knew what he was going to say.

_Shadow could totally get us out of this mess with his Chaos Abilities…!_

"I see…" I trailed, and the thought of us getting back to our own time -where I could save Elise and work toward preventing this future from happening- caused my previous distress to vanish and for a smile to replace it. "You mean using your Chaos Control will-"

"_Yes_." Shadow cut me off curtly, and I flinched a bit from his sudden interruption. He then fiercely jabbed a finger in my direction, his eyes narrowing deeply. "…but that alone is insufficient!"

I could feel Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge's stares on me, expecting me to respond and clarify what Shadow was trying to implicate. I honestly had no idea where Shadow was going with this plan –_still-_ but I flashed him a huge grin regardless. He seemed to glower at me, but he continued on explaining anyway.

"…we're going to need two Chaos Emeralds. Once we get those, Sonic and I should be able to utilize a Chaos Control, open a time rift, and return to the day when we left."

"I don't know if that'll work," Tails interjected. I quirked an eyebrow curiously.

_Why WOULDN'T it work!?_

"…Sonic's only been able to tap into the spatial properties of Chaos Control, not the temporal…"

…_oh yeah._

"Well, there's a first time for everything!" I exclaimed brightly, hoping to keep the idea alive. Because, come on, that was the best thing we thought of.

"Not with this kind of thing!" Knuckles suddenly cried, raising his fists at me. "If you go blindly into this, you could warp us even farther to the future, or drop us in a volcano, or simply, oh I don't know…KILL US?"

"Always a skeptic," murmured Rouge, and I snickered in Knuckles' direction. He just kept glaring murderously at me, but refused to say anything.

"Calm down; with me on the other end, there's no way anything can go wrong," Shadow claimed, before shooting a sneer at me. "After all, I'm not surprised that Sonic's skills aren't…_polished_, so to speak."

_Well!_

I stuck my tongue out and yanked my eyelid down at him. Shadow just rolled his eyes and brushed the gesture off.

"There's always Plan B!" Rouge suggested afterward. Tails and Knuckles seemed somewhat interested, but with the way Shadow was shaking his head at Rouge, I figure that was territory that we didn't need to cross. Thus, I tossed my quills over my shoulder and gave a thumbs up.

"Okay, Shadow. It looks like we need to work together!"

Shadow appeared less than pleased, but he did nod with acknowledgment at me.

_Guess I'm rising on the approval ladder!_

Rouge then leapt between Knuckles and Tails, draping her arm over their shoulders and chuckling.

"I'm _so _excited that we'll be working together again, Knuckie," she crooned, and I swear that Knuckles' face turned as red as his fur. "It's been so long since we've been side by side…but I'll bet that I can find a Chaos Emerald before YOU do."

"You'll do WHAT now?!" Knuckles exclaimed, swatting Rouge away and balling up his fists. Rouge returned back to the ground and shrugged with that odd flirtatious flair that she always had.

"Well, we both know that between the two of us, I'M the better treasure hunter, so it's natural that I'd assume I would find a Chaos Emerald first!"

"Guys, we're supposed to be on the same side," Tails intervened, but he abruptly caught sight of Rouge's communicator and went bug eyed. "Whoa, Rouge, what happened to your screen?!"

Rouge pulled away from Knuckles and glanced at her wrist, blinking at it.

"Oh, this? One of Eggman's rusty old clunkers broke it while I was in his base…er, in the past. …or would that still be the present?"

"I guess being in the present is relative," I remarked with a smirk. Knuckles was struck confused again, and I noticed Shadow rolling his eyes indifferently. In the meantime, Tails had approached Rouge and lifted up her wrist.

"It just needs a new screen; a relatively simple replacement," Tails commented, taking out a spare screen and twirling it between his fingers.

"You carry things like that around with you…?" Shadow questioned disbelievingly. I couldn't help but smile a bit proudly when Tails just shrugged and began the repairs.

"You never know when something like this'll happen. Gotta be prepared!"

When Rouge's communicator was fully functional again, Shadow suggested that we begin heading out into the city.

"We'll cover more ground if we split up," I pointed out, gesturing to Tails and Knuckles. "This area is huge, and we don't even know for sure if there's an emerald in that ruined place…"

"Too bad someone gave away the only one we had," sang Knuckles in a sarcastic high pitched falsetto, only to descend quickly into rage. "Oh THAT'S right; we wouldn't be in this mess if _you_ didn't hand it over…!"

_Ah, yes; I knew that was coming sooner or later._

Still, I was feeling guilty about my error of judgment, so I looked away to hide my frown. "…still, it's going to be tricky to get our hands on another."

"Can't hurt to try, darling," Rouge hummed, taking off already. She did turn around to wave at Knuckles though. "Until we meet again…and I know I'LL have one of those beautiful jewels in MY possession!"

Shadow grunted and proceeded to drag Rouge away as Tails and I teamed up to pull Knuckles in the opposite direction. The last thing we needed was for them to break out into a brawl…or, like start smooching or something. Nyeh…

Besides, now I had to redeem myself for my mistake…and Knuckles' awkward love life wasn't going to get in the way of that.

. . .

So me and my crew were currently grinding down a rusty and abandoned rail in Crisis City, though I had opted to be classy and go down with a makeshift street board. Tails was still hesitant to even go deeper into the ruined city, while Knuckles was more concerned with Rouge and Shadow's progress.

"You know Knuckles, we'd find our OWN treasure a lot faster if you focused on that instead of other people," I pointed out, spinning in the air before landing on the rail again. I could heard him huff hot air behind me.

"Can it, Sonic. I am not in the mood to talk to you right now."

I rolled my eyes back to glower at him. "So we're stuck in the future, calm down. I'm working on a way out of it, aren't I?"

"You wouldn't need to find a way out of it if you hadn't got in it to begin with," he shot back.

_ARGH…!_

"Stop it you guys!" Tails exclaimed, shaking his head. "Think of it this way- if we hadn't gotten sent to the future, we wouldn't have been able to help Shadow and Rouge get back!"

"Yeah, Knux, didja think about THAT!?"

"Yes, but what if we had been send to the future and those two WEREN'T conveniently here, huh?! What would we do then? You heard Shadow- there's no way one person alone could warp us back through all that time and space!"

The three of us jumped off the grind rail and landed on a tipped building with a pile of cars resting on it. Knuckles was still ranting away on our circumstances, and I just about had enough of it.

"What if there's not even an emerald in the city and we're wasting time-" he rambled on, until I forcibly clamped my hand over his muzzle.

"Get a grip, Knuckles!" I hissed at him, and he glowered at me with his angry amethyst eyes. "First off, we can't really be wasting time if we're _out_ of time, and second, stop thinking about the 'what ifs' and focus on what's in front of you!"

I removed my hand and gestured to the world around us, shaking my head.

"This whole city is on fire. And somewhere in that city is possibly one of our tickets home, all right? I know you're upset about it, and you can blame me and insult me and make me feel even guiltier than I already am, but that's not going to fix anything. I gave you my apology, now I need you to give me your assistance in getting out of here, m'kay?"

"We're on each other's team, Knuckles," Tails added, standing off to the side and out of range of Knuckles' fists. "We have to remember that."

Knuckles was steaming silent for the longest time, but eventually grabbed his head and shook it. "I'm sorry, okay? You know I let my anger get the best of me sometimes…"

"Yes, I know," I replied, a little more light-hearted than before. "I still have the bruises as proof."

I started jogging backward, motioning to the other two to get a move on.

"Anyway, if we're going to get out of here and figure out how this future came to be, we need to get going! Come on!"

Tails immediately took to the air and flew over my shoulder, while Knuckles tagged along with a little less enthusiasm. I couldn't blame him- it was hard to even pick myself up with this bleak landscape surrounding us. Still, I jumped back on the street board and made my way down.

Debris was falling all around us like rain, and the heat that radiated from every corner of the city was unbearable. Tails was looking extra hot, having more fur than Knuckles and I, and even Knuckles was wiping sweat off his forehead.

"How does anyone live in this condition?" he asked, trying to fan himself with his giant hand.

"They don't," Tails murmured quietly, but both of us had heard him.

We made our way through the inside of those ruined buildings, filled with nothing but fire and ashes. We dodged spontaneous explosions and collapsing fireballs, and Knuckles even punched through a falling car at one point.

_I like a little spice of danger every now and then, but this was ridiculous…!"_

Sounds of crackling fire and shattering glass filled the already stagnant air, only serving to drive me even more to find a Chaos Emerald. To be here any longer was physically and mentally bad for my health!

"It's so incredible…that this all used to be magnificent long ago," I stated aloud.

"All these hollow husks of buildings are really depressing," Tails added, only for his tails to go straight out when another boom crashed in the background.

"What in the world is throwing all of this stuff around anyway?" Knuckles wondered. No one had an answer though; no one really had an answer for anything.

The streets were unbelievably mangled, and even I had a hard time maneuvering around all the cracks and breaks in the road. The street board managed to round tight curves pretty easily, but Knuckles was slowing down, so Tails grabbed his wrist and carried him a short distance. We all were content after that, aside from dodging debris, but something bright and orange whooshed by and freaked Tails out.

"What was that?!" he stammered, dropping Knuckles out of shock. "Something really hot just flew past me…!"

"It's probably just in your mind, Tails," Knuckles insisted, spitting a chunk of concrete out of his mouth before standing back up. "This place even gives me the shudders."

"No, I don't think he's making it up…" I trailed, pointing ahead. Knuckles followed where I was gesturing too, only to see two large flaming birds swooping at us like we were prey.

"That's…not good."

"Those lava snakes aren't good either!" Tails exclaimed.

Tails and Knuckles inched closer to me as I made my way down one of the many warped streets, with the fire birds flying above us and weaving our way around "lava worms" that were shooting up out of the ground, as Tails had put it. All we could do was work our way around them and their attack, because none of us could even get close enough to the fiends without burning ourselves.

_And to think, the whole world was like this…!_

"Guys…" I trailed quietly, ducking under a fireball afterwards. "Do you think…that I caused all this?"

Tails' eyes grew to the size of small plates while Knuckles eyed me curiously.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because that Silver guy who was trying to kill me said my actions would bring devastation to his world," I explained, casting my hand out. "…so is all this what I did?"

"Sonic, you could never lead to world to ruin like this!" Tails exclaimed, shaking his head. "You love the world too much…!"

"Not only that, but we're over two hundred years displaced from our own time," Knuckles pointed out. "This was probably the result of something that happened long after our time."

"You guys are right," I said airily, though I still had my doubts. "I should probably stop thinking out loud so much, ha ha…"

I leapt off the street board and hurled it into the nearest enemy before using my own two feet to get moving. Tails and Knuckles nodded at each other before following behind me, running in speed formation. We ran over a ramp, catapulting into the air, and eventually alighting on a grind rail below, orange sparks flying beneath out feet.

"If this wasn't a piece of destroyed history, I'd actually think it was kinda cool!"

"Just look out for those fire birds up ahead," Knuckles warned, and I did him one better by curling up into a protective ball and spin dashing three birds in a row before dismounting back on the rail. My head was now smoking slightly, but at least the threat was gone.

"Didn't that hurt even a little…?" Tails asked incredulously. I just tapped down the flame that was on my head.

"What is pain?" I asked lightly back, although remembering the ache in my arm from before, it occurred to me that I actually did know.

We all jumped between grind rails, trying to keep up our speed and avoid any more monsters. Tails then suddenly looked down, and his breath hitched.

"Um, nobody look now, but…"

He pointed down before, and Knuckles and I looked at each other before glancing there ourselves.

There was a large abyss that seemed to cut right through the crust of the planet itself, as a riverbed of lava was oozing straight through it…directly underneath us.

"Welp, this seems like a good time to tell you guys to be careful not to fall!" I exclaimed brightly, with Knuckles giving me a disapproving look.

I flipped off the grind rail and ricocheted from building to building, using some springs scattered around for extra power.

_I was just surprised that they were still intact!_

I landed back on the ground and kicked at a lava worm, being very careful not to touch it with anything but my feet, followed by rocketing over a Boost Pad and flying up the side of a bent road. Whisking myself up, over, and around a decayed building, I found myself on another grind rail.

"You move way too fast…!" I heard Knuckles exclaimed after a while, gliding up and landing on the rail next to me. Tails joined him shortly after. I shrugged meekly.

"Sorry- got swept up in the speed! …besides, do you know how hard it is to maneuver in this city when you can't fly?!

I demonstrated when I careened off the grind rail and fell to the road below, stampeding over a Boost Pad and working my way around the hazards scattered about. Knuckles and Tails stayed in the air while I made my way up there myself by wall jumping between two buildings and landing in the window of another. I darted through the ashen halls at full speed, hitting a spring and getting thrown into another building across the street. A fire lizard resided inside, but I bounced on top of it and threw myself out another window.

_Yes, I'm that insane._

I land on a road that curved in on itself, so I ran the loop and let out a lively holler into the arid winds. It was the only call of life around, and that thought seemed pretty lonely and depressing the more I mulled it over.

As I ran by, any remaining windows in the area spontaneously shattered, and I didn't know if it was from the aftermath of my speed, or just a side product of everything _else_ that was spontaneously combusting from the heat. But when I suddenly felt the wind pick up, I knew what the real reason was.

"Oh no…"

"Sonic…!"

I looked up to see Tails tumbling overhead, being pulled in by the source of the overwhelming winds ahead. Knuckles was currently running along a rail trying to get to him, but even after grabbing hold of him, he wasn't enough to weigh Tails down against the force of the wind.

_The force of a TORNADO, to be more precise._

"Hold on, guys!" I shouted, running over to a nearby spring and catapulting myself onto the grind rail. The wind had caught in Knuckles' dreads and was whipping both him and Tails around like ragdolls. I leaned forward, picking up speed and closing in on them. Just when I was close enough, I sprang at them, only to get swept up in the winds myself.

"Nice plan, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted at me, still latching onto Tails.

"I don't make plans!" I called back, midair somersaulting closer to them. "I have ideas!"

I managed to work my way close enough to grab onto Tails, and all our combined weight was enough to bring us down. However, just when we thought the coast was clear, we found we were still in the tornado, standing on a piece of street that it had ripped up out of the ground.

"Okay guys! Don't let go of each other!" I called, staying latched onto both of them. They exchanged a look before gripping each other's wrists as well. Once we were secure, I headed onwards, running the lengths of the road and leaping across the gaps between pieces.

"Do you want me to fly us over those?" Tails asked, but I shook my head.

"Not this time- the wind might sweep us up again."

"Good point."

"Most people hide from tornadoes, but not us- we've gotta be right in the middle of it!" Knuckles scoffed.

"That's where all the fun is!" I called back, jumping from platform to platform. Knuckles groaned over the roar of the wind, but his complaining went no further than that.

The arid winds of the tornado were getting to be a bit much, but I knew we had to almost be through, or at least be at the eye of the storm.

_And just like that, we were dropped._

The tornado halted for the slightest of seconds, giving Tails, Knuckles, and I enough time to return back to –relatively- solid ground. We fell forward and stopped to catch our breath, but the winds picked right up again.

"Come on! Give us a break! ANOTHER one?" Knuckles moaned. Tails just shook his head and started scrambling away.

"Something's telling me that isn't exactly a tornado…"

"Fire Tornado!" I yelled, grabbing my friends and bolting away from the funnel of fire. The heat in the area grew even more intolerable, and the remains of the world around us were being drawn right into the pursuing cyclone.

"This is so bad!" Tails yelped.

"Of course it's bad! That tornado is carrying a car!" I shouted as we sprinted off. Knuckles gave me the most incredulous look.

"Dude, the LAST tornado was carrying a car! It was carrying several! AND pieces of street! AND BUILDINGS!"

"Sheesh, can't a guy make an observation around here?" I mumbled under my breath.

"Why I oughtta-"

"Run, RUN!" Tails demanded, and I started picking up speed. "Whatever you do, don't hit anything…!"

"What would I do without that helpful advice," I sang, and Tails just shook his head at me. "I'm kidding…!"

Cars were crashing down in front of us, crates were flying at me from all directions, and I was still expected to somehow miraculously evade it all…! I was side-stepping, jumping dodging, and flipping like I never had before, and I had no clue how well Tails and Knuckles were holding up!

"You guys okay back there?" I called over my shoulder.

"I think we lost my insides back by that busted up taxi, but I'm otherwise good!" Tails cried.

Knuckles just grunted, so at least I knew he was still conscious.

The heat of the flames was licking at my heels, so I knew Tails and Knuckles could feel it too. I looked over my shoulder to see the flames beginning to envelope everything, tossing smaller bits of debris at us as well. I dove under a slew of rocks and felt my eye twitch.

"When is this going to end?!"

"Be careful what you wish for…!" Knuckles cried, and I squinted at the distance to see that the road was out ahead!

Which…wasn't a surprise considering the state of the rest of the place.

"Brace yourselves…!" I shouted as we careened over the edge, the three of us screaming as we began our plummeting escape to our potential doom-

And then we remembered that Tails (and Knuckles) could fly.

_We have GOT to stop doing that._

. . .

"Whew, just made it…!"

So we managed to outrun TWO tornadoes, and we still had no idea on the whereabouts of a potential Chaos Emerald. Still, we were tired of being outside, so we found a building a ways away from the city that was still mostly intact and decided to look around.

_After all, if it was still in one piece, it had to worth checking out._

"I do think I sense some Chaos Energy around here," Knuckles eventually spoke up, his voice echoing in the emptiness of the corridor. "It feels…weird, though. I dunno, maybe I'm experiencing future shock."

"I would usually be able to pick up its signal with my watch, but there must be something in this place that's jamming my frequency…" Tails trailed, fiddling with his communicator.

"Well I don't feel anything," I replied, waltzing down the hall with my hands on my hips. "Though, I guess we should be lucky to sense anything at all in all this…depravity."

"I know; no matter where we go, all we see are ruins," Knuckles agreed. "How can THIS be our future?"

"How could it come to this?" added Tails, throwing his arms in the air.

_Me._

Tails and Knuckles had claimed that it was impossible for me to lead the world down this path, but as they were despairing to themselves at the moment, seeing the world like this bothered them as much as it bothered me. I had a grim look on my face as I pondered the world's fate, but looking up, I saw some strange cold mist seeping out of a cracked door. Signs were plastered all over saying "DO NOT OPEN"…and yet it was ajar.

"Could it be true?" I heard someone exclaim from the other side. I nudged Tails and Knuckles, and three of us crammed together so all of us could see through the crack.

"If I eliminate that guy, will our world be saved?"

I instantly reeled back- I was looking at SILVER! At the very moment he plotted to kill me! A purple cat was in the room as well, along with some soulless guy that looked like Shadow who dyed his red streaks teal, and they were all standing in front of a very intact supercomputer.

_And they were talking about killing me…!_

I saw the Not-Shadow guy nod his head in response to Silver's question, and I felt my quills go rigid at the notion.

"The Day of Disaster…" he began in a deep and dark voice, gesturing to the supercomputer. "Here are my records of this event. This is when Iblis was freed, and his flames were released into the world."

The three of us watched as pictures of Soleanna popped up rhythmically onto the screen, showcasing visuals of Soleanna's peaceful landscape…only to be plunged in flames; a fire that burned everything to the ground, turned life itself to ash, and left nothing but smoke and misery in its wake…

_The once noble place that was Soleanna Castle Town and Soleanna New City…was now Crisis City. _

"All this chaos and destruction began on this day…and you have this person to blame."

Not-Shadow pulled out the purple Chaos Emerald and handed it to Silver, and the three of us nearly gasped, but I covered Knuckles' mouth, Knuckles covered Tails', and Tails covered mine before any sounds could escape.

Silver seemed to get possessed by something he saw in the emerald, and even from where I was standing, I could see the purple gleam in his eyes.

_And the realization._

"I see it!" he cried, suddenly looking determined. "So that blue hedgehog is the Iblis Trigger?!"

Tails and Knuckles went straight faced as their gazes rolled down to me, while I simply blanched.

The purple cat seemed curious by the claim, trying to look into the emerald herself as she muttered something under her breath, but I was too far away to make it out.

Silver's ears perked up as he turned to her. "Hm? Did you say something, Blaze?"

Blaze didn't register the question immediately, but she eventually shook her head and waved it off.

"No, no…it's just…something about that is kinda surprising, that's all," she murmured, saying nothing more. Shrugging, Silver passed the purple emerald back to Not-Shadow, which seemed to please that green-eyed stranger.

"I'll send us back in time to the point when the Iblis Trigger was still alive…"

Not-Shadow created a purple orb between the palm of his hands, and it grew in size with each passing second. Silver and Blaze staggered from the light, but right before our eyes, all three of them vanished…

_And I knew just_ when _they were going._

As soon as they were gone, we piled into the room, our eyes wider than the sun at this point.

"What the…who WAS that guy?" Knuckles asked, and I threw my arms in the air.

"That was SILVER! I knew he was from the future, and I TOLD you I'm somehow responsible for this-!"

"I _meant _the guy that looked like Shadow," Knuckles retorted with a grunt. I folded my arms and impatiently tapped my foot.

"Yeah, well, Not-Shadow is in on my demise too!"

"Sonic, we still don't know the whole story," Tails insisted, walking up to the computer to sort through its files. I gripped my quills and let out an agonizing cry.

"Dude, we just saw everything happen right in front of us! Blue Hedgehog! Iblis Trigger! Still don't know what that means, but I'm starting to believe it…!"

"We're losing him Tails; should I punch him?" Knuckles asked Tails, and Tails shot him a glance over his shoulder.

"No, he's just thinks that he is the sole reason that the future is like this, which is a perfectly acceptable reaction, but if I go back to the date that, er, 'Not-Shadow' sent Silver and Blaze to, I should-"

As soon as he saw the screen, the breath vanished from his throat, and Knuckles and I scrambled to his side to see it for ourselves. I tried reading the screen for myself, but all I could see was a picture of Elise and a burning aircraft.

_What did THAT mean?_

"This is terrible!" Tails cried, furiously typing away at the keyboard. "According to the data, the princess died when she was kidnapped by Eggman! Apparently Eggman's battleship exploded!"

"WHAT!?" I boomed, nearly nudging him out of the way. Tails stumbled a bit, but pushed me back out of the way and returned to scrolling.

"The date of this incident was…three days after the Festival of the Sun of the year we left!"

"But that's the day AFTER we were sent here!" I exclaimed. "She probably died because we weren't there to save her in time because we're HERE right now! If we don't return to precisely the right time, Elise will die onboard Eggman's battleship! And you know what that means…"

"Yeah, I think so…" Tails trailed sadly.

_The Day of Disaster…_

"Blasted time travel…" Knuckles scowled as he shook his fists. "The one Chaos Emerald we had a shot at getting at was taken by that Not-Shadow guy! Even if Shadow and Rouge find a Chaos Emerald, we still won't have one, and we still won't be able to get back!"

_Wet blanket…!_

Frustrated, I threw my fists down and turned away from the screen, never feeling so helpless in my life. Here I was, trapped in the future, with Elise's life ticking shorter and shorter without her even knowing about it. The need to get back was greater than ever now…but we had hit a dead end with our lack of a Chaos Emerald.

"There is…one thing I don't get though…" I trailed, a new realization dawning on me. "How could MY actions have caused the Day of Disaster…if I wasn't even there for it?"

Knuckles seemed impressed by my deduction, but Tails scrolled farther down the page and nervously bit his lip.

"Well, we made it back at some point…"he trailed hesitantly, and I found myself curiously scanning the page myself. "…I don't know if you want to hear any of this though…"

"Bring it on, Tails- things can't get much worse now," I susurrated. Gulping, Tails scrolled down another notch, and now the screen displayed a picture of me.

"We must've gotten back too late, because when Elise died, you felt so guilty and responsible that you took on the Flames of Disaster, their source being known as Iblis, all by yourself," Tails read, and I grew cold. "You battled it many times and for many years, but it couldn't be controlled, nor could it ever be truly defeated…you exhausted yourself, and eventually fell to its flames. I guess the world was exhausted of heroes, and that's when the Flames of Disaster spread globally…"

"So I DIE, and then the world gets screwed over? The world is like this because I _die_?!" I exasperated, and Tails only shrugged.

"I'm just reading these old reports…"

"W-well what happened to the rest of you guys, or Amy, or Shadow or even Rouge…?"

Tails leaned in reluctantly to the screen and skimmed for more information. "Well, it states that GUN did try to push back the flames, and while they succeeded for a time, they were eventually overtaken and only non-field agents survived…"

"So Rouge died trying to keep the flames back?" Knuckles asked quietly, hanging his head. "Didn't think she had the nobility…"

Tails typed rapidly away, his eyes skimming the screen anytime new information presented itself. After what seemed like ages, he came across something that actually brought tears to his eyes. I saw them start to form, so I quickly stepped over and comforted him.

"You don't have to read it if you don't want to," I told him, but he shook his head and read on regardless.

"After you went partially insane trying to battle the Flames of Disaster, I had worked on finding a way to bring them down for good, just like Silver did, but it had nothing to do with killing you," he read, frowning as he went. "I found out that they had to be sealed away, so Knuckles offered up the Master Emerald for its host, and Amy gathered the Chaos Emeralds for the ritual. But when we tried to seal it away, it wouldn't accept the Master Emerald…"

Knuckles and I both winced in anticipation for what was coming next.

"The Master Emerald broke into pieces, emitting an explosion that killed Knuckles and Amy, and left me badly damaged…and I guess it was that day that the world gave up on hope…everything after that is just stating how fast the world decayed with all its defenders unable to fight back…"

"Not all of them," I stated quietly, turning back to the screen. "You mentioned GUN earlier, but there's no way Shadow was killed…"

Tails blinked and perused the article once again, and actually recoiled in surprise. "You're right, Shadow never died…in fact, he doesn't even have a death date. But it also states that he was delisted from the military for a reason undisclosed to the public, and while he's apparently still alive now, he never actively stood against the Flames of Disaster…"

"Geez, I wonder what happened to Shads? I can't believe he'd let the planet Maria loved so much burn to a crisp if he could help it…"

Tails then stepped away from the computer, hanging his head. "That's it on all of us; any other life on the planet was either wiped out or forced into hiding, where the terrible living conditions eventually got them."

The silence in the room became deafening until Knuckles finally put us back in perspective.

"So, uh, what do we do now…?"

Tails turned the computer off and put a hand to his chin. "I guess the best thing to do is rendezvous with Shadow and Rouge even without an emerald, and hope we can either find another one or design a new plan of action…"

He lifted up his communicator and set to call the other two, looking a bit nervous as he did so.

"Is this Rouge?" he asked, setting the watch on speaker so Knuckles and I could hear too.

"Yes, this is Rouge," the bat's voice called out, although she didn't sound as vibrant as she'd been when we parted. Tails smiled and pumped a fist.

"Great, your communicator works fine!" he exclaimed, but then he coughed and continued, returning to typing at the computer. "Anyway, um, we didn't exactly find a Chaos Emerald, but we've come across a lot of information if you're interested, and also the next point that we should search for a Chaos Emerald from. If you and Shadow could meet us at the outskirts of the city, that'd be great!"

"…understood," Rouge replied, taking it all in. "We'll be there in a minute."

She had hung up, so Tails did the same as well and gave us a thumbs up.

"At least she didn't seem mad, but we won't hear the end of it now," murmured Knuckles.

Even at the turn of events, I found myself staring hard at the computer screen, punching my hand into my palm and trying to reinvigorate myself.

"The future is never set in stone…what we see now is only what will probably be, but there's still time to change this. We can't let what we see bring us down, because in my mind, it hasn't happened yet…"

I winked at the two of them as I smiled, and they brightened up in turn.

"…and as far as I'm concerned, it _won't_."

* * *

**Okay, few things to say here: 1. This chapter was actually split, and the rearranging I had to do afterward resulted in _two_ of Sonic's chapters being split, a splicing of one of Shadow's, and a splitting of one of Silver's AND adding another one. I hated doing this, but it's for the best, and at least Sonic (the canon story) now stands at a nice even twenty chapters. Just in case anyone was wondering about the increase in chapters on my profile- and none of the posted chapters have been affected. **

**2. The little speculation towards the end of this chapter is mainly just for fun (and me running wild with my imagination as to what could've happened to everybody), as it has no overbearing impact on the story as a whole BUT it does help build toward something that happens in Shadow's story, and supports something else that I'll bring up later on (which will probably _also_ be in Shadow's story cuz he's the only one that catches it. ;P). **

**3. Speaking of him, Shadow will be updated once more on Wednesday, and he'll finally be receiving more regular updates! He's been put on the sidelines for a little bit, but _Sonic_ had to catch up (and Wednesdays are pretty packed for me)...so if you've been following Shadow at all, you're in luck!**


	8. Memories of Fire-Forged Alliances

_**WintersEgde7**_: Yes, I love Sonic's ending confidence! Makes me glad that I ended the chapter like that after all. :)

_**werewolf lover99**_: You ain't seen nothing yet. ;P

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 7: Memories of Fire-Forged Alliances

After Knuckles, Tails, and I learned more about the circumstances surrounding Silver and this bleak future, we agreed to return to Shadow and Rouge even without a Chaos Emerald. We were more than happy to hightail it out of the city, but what lied beyond wasn't any more pleasant.

Shadow and Rouge were standing around, waiting impatiently for us in an area that was devoid of any vegetation, but shockingly had a few barren trees lingering around. As a matter of fact, were so eager to find them that we nearly ran right past them, the three of us stumbling over each other when we saw them right next to us.

"You guys are so _slow_," Rouge taunted, and if I hadn't been in the mood I was in I would've retaliated. "Just take a look!"

She then produced the green Chaos Emerald, making me nod, Knuckles grunt, and Tails…completely freak out.

"A Chaos Emerald!" he squealed, circling around it to make sure it was real. "You've already found one?!"

"Well now, I may not look it, but I'm a real treasure hunter," she giggled, tapping Tails' nose with the gem. "…unlike a certain _echidna _I know."

Knuckles had been making a 'blah blah blah' notion with his hand as Rouge rambled, but as soon as she brought him up, he was all up in her face faster than I probably could have.

"What?!" he sneered, getting up close and personal with her. "Heh…!"

"You don't even have a proper comeback, do you Knuckie?" she teased, flaunting that emerald like it was a trophy. "It's okay; I'd be speechless at the sight of me too!"

Knuckles had his back to her now, but I could see he was currently fuming…and also redder than usual.

_Heh heh heh…_

"Have you guys discovered _anything_?" Shadow asked us dryly, and I personally had a hesitant expression. I was about to explain the unfortunate info we had found in the computer room, but Tails had stepped up and saved me before I had to say anything.

"Um, yeah," he stammered, putting up a virtual image from his watch. "Now that there's nothing jamming my communicator, I picked up a signal indicating that there's a Chaos Emerald here, but…"

Tails grew quiet as he pointed off to in the distance, referring to a rather dark and dangerous looking area. Shadow and I both traded a look while Rouge recoiled in disgust.

"You _mean_ we've got to go through _there_?"

"If you don't like it, _you _can stay here," Knuckles shot at her instantly, leaning in and giving her a coy look. Rouge just glowered at him.

"You've GOT to be kidding…who's the one that found the last emerald? Me? Not you? Oh THAT'S right," she replied scathingly, and Knuckles punched that poor defenseless bare tree.

_It didn't even stand a chance. _

In any case, we needed to get going, so I leaned towards Shadow and pointed a finger at him seriously.

"Don't be late."

He scoffed, pushing my hand out of the way, and strolled on by.

"Same to_ you_."

He then broke out into a full on sprint, cuing me to take off after him. Knuckles, Tails, and Rouge weren't too far behind because, well, this was our last chance at getting home, and staying behind wouldn't be good for ANY of us.

. . .

Shadow and I split up at some point, him taking his own way and I taking mine, though this time we had the same destination. Tails and Knuckles broke off with Rouge as well, now following me down this molten path with barren trees scattered around the edges and a moat of lava surrounding us at all sides. There were active volcanoes in the distance, and lava lizards guarding the path to them.

"I got it," Knuckles called, hefting a rock over his shoulder and hurling it at the lizard. He hit it square in the head, cause it to flop on the ground and melt into a fiery puddle. Shrugging, I kept stampeding by, feeling in much higher spirits than before, now that I knew how to evade this horrendous future. I even spread out my hands and laughed as I ran a loop, because if I could laugh even faced with a barren landscape, then that served to prove that I could rise above it and carry on.

Sure, a guy arriving from the future trying to kill me to avoid the apocalypse had me freaked at first, but I understood a bit more now, and while it still had me worried, I had a feeling I knew more of the truth than Silver did.

_To think he was running around in the past looking for me…and technically, he'd _just_ missed me when he was in the future. _

I bounded off a spring, rushed over a ramp, and took to the air, gazing out at the volcano and the glow of its lava silhouetted against the navy blue expanse.

"Woo hoo! What a view!"

"There's really not much_ to_ view," Knuckles commented when I landed back on the ground.

"Killjoy," I huffed, jogging ahead. "Mood killer!"

"There's no mood or joy to kill either-!"

Tails giggled to himself as I whisked on ahead, gleefully darting through the rocky formations. They twisted and turned into chaotic paths that were fun to run on, but they were also slightly unstable, as a few rocks fell into the melted rock below after I trampled over there.

"Gotta be careful not to fall off here!"

"Yes, and we also should watch out for car-carrying tornadoes again too," added Knuckles haughtily. I stayed ahead of him and rolled my eyes.

"Do you only speak up when you come up with some quip against me?"

"Nothing more interesting to talk about other than our apparent and unfortunate deaths," he shrugged casually. "But I don't wanna bring that up again, so messing with you it is!"

"I feel like you guys swapped roles ever since we landed in the future," Tails commented, eyeing us curiously. "Did you two do a body swap while I wasn't looking or something?"

"I certainly hope not," I snapped, only for Knuckles to swat at me.

"_I _was going to say that…!"

"Nothing's stopping you now!"

"Yeah, but now it won't have the same impact!"

Tails interrupted us to point out that the path head was out, and he and Knuckles simply took to the air and flew their way across. I made a face at their blatant disregard for my lack of the ability to fly, so I leapt from rock spire to rock spire in order to cross the lava.

"That's okay; I like the more lethal way anyway!" I yelled over to them, landing and running along a wall that had lava pouring out of its sides and monsters snapping at me form below. I met up with them again on the other side and ran a hand casually through my quills. "_Exhilarating."_

"Sorry Sonic- I usually only carry you when you ask," Tails stated, rubbing the back of his neck. Knuckles merely folded his arms. I saw this and smirked at him.

"I wouldn't be folding my arms just yet, Knux- the way forward is up that cliff," I explained, jerking my thumbs over my shoulders. Knuckles swiveled his arm to stretch it out as he made his way over there.

"Psh, no problem! I can just climb up, and Tails has this in the bag!"

"I know," I stated coyly, and he stared at me quizzically. "But the question is how _I'm_ getting up there!"

**Two Minutes Later-**

"This is worse and ten times more embarrassing than snowboarding," Knuckles grunted, jamming his fists into the side of the cliff and gradually working his way up. Tails was hovering over his shoulder, and I was strapped to him like a backpack. "You really couldn't have used Tails to take you up?"

"No, Tails helps me out ALL the time; I figured it was time that you cashed in on a little of that," I sang. He grumbled something nasty under his breath, but I pretended not to hear it. Once we reached the top, Knuckles abruptly tossed me off, and I found myself at the feet of a fire lizard, who was accompanied by various other burning creatures.

"Talk about a hot topic!" I exclaimed, with Knuckles groaning off to the side. "Looks like I'll have to blow out these candles!"

"Clearly he's been deprived of pun usage," murmured Tails as I circled the outer edge of the platform, creating a small blue tornado that slowly closed in on all the enemies. When I had them all thoroughly surrounded, I leapt out the typhoon, clapped my hands, and send them all spiraling in different directions.

"Piece of cake! No sweat! And I didn't even have to touch them!" I chuckled, making a sizzling noise afterward. "Guess it's because I'm such hot stuff!"

Knuckles moaned again and trotted ahead through a cave filled with purple crystals, and I happily followed after him with a dumb grin on my face and Tails smacking his forehead.

The inside of the cave passage was actually quite pretty, but it was too narrow and too full of obstacles for me to run through, so I let Knuckles take the lead, as he was handy for clearing any clutter in our way. It was relatively short though, so once we were back outside, I took the helm, grabbing Tails and Knuckles and careening away onto a sketchy-looking rocky path.

"This bridge will collapse any second!"

"At least it's not a fire tornado," hummed Knuckles.

"Sure, but would you rather take a bath in lava instead?" Tails asked, and Knuckles fell quiet.

_I dunno, neither seemed like a very refreshing choice…_

I could feel the rocks behind me giving way so I made it my mission to get all the way across before everything fell to pieces. Once I did, I found an even bigger problem resting with a whole waterfall of lava pouring over one of the cliff…and we had to climb it.

"…I take back what I said," Tails stated, putting us in flight formation and lifting us straight to the top completely unscathed…and then we found the river of lava waiting for us.

"Well, where did you think all that lava was flowing from?" Knuckles asked, starting to make his way across the river by jumping from each of the rock platforms, working his way upstream. Tails and I were on his heels, not wanting to fall behind.

"Add this to the list of bizarre things we've done!" I called up to Knuckles. "Skipping over a river of lava in the distant future!"

"I'll never be able to experience what 'normal' is with you, can I?"

_Nope! This is WAY more fun!_

Once we bypassed that obstacle, I made my way to an even higher cliff, helping the other two on up. But when I whirled around, two fire worms were throwing fire at me!"

"Whoa, that's not a nice welcome…!" I exclaimed.

"No, but it's certainly a warm one!" Knuckles cackled, sharing a high five with Tails.

_Man, how had I missed THAT opportunity!?_

Rolling my eyes, I knocked all the monsters off the edge like I had before, then continued on. Knuckles and Tails were still snickering to themselves because they were _so_ clever. I just really wanted to beat Shadow and Rouge to the Chaos Emerald, though I kinda found myself distracted by something.

"Cool, it's raining fire!"

"Since when is _raining fire_ cool?" Knuckles inquired, and my enthusiasm died.

"If it really is defying physics like that, then they have no umbrella that can protect against that," commented Tails.

_Once again, can't a guy make a simple observation…? _

"Fine, let's take shelter from the raining fire…" I began, pointing forward. "…and head into that volcano!"

Knuckles and Tails glanced at the volcano looming in the distance and instantly winced.

"And you think that's a good idea _why_…?" wondered Knuckles.

"Well, the Chaos Emerald might be in there," Tails pointed out. "It's worth a look!"

"Yeah, maybe MY treasure hunting skills are kicking in!" I added, and Knuckles gritted his teeth.

"I can't believe this…" he muttered, but he still got in position behind me. Winking at my friends, I took off, running down the convenient path with a ramp at the end that lead straight to a volcano. After gaining enough speed, we stampeded over the ramp and catapulted into the air.

"Here we go!" I called, spinning into a ball as we hurled toward the entrance to the volcano.

"Of all the stupid things we've done…"

Knuckles' griping was again lost on me the moment we landed in the volcano, alighting on a rock platform in the middle of the pool of lava. I gave a ten-point dismount, while Tails had to grab Knuckles before he toppled into the pool. He murmured his negative opinion under his breath, knowing I'd override it.

"We won't be long, Knux," I promised, Tails carrying me up over a ledge. He eventually sighed and hung his head, following us up. He then took a quick look around and got confused.

"Why in the world is there a grind rail in here?!"

"Because they knew I'd show up!" I replied airily, taking off around the edge of the lava pool and making my way over to it. I leapt onto it and happily threw a fist in the air. "It's even neon!"

"Nice to know that even after the world ends and we all die, we'll still have neon grind rails," Knuckles hummed sarcastically.

We circled around on the grind rail before being tossed to the edge again, with me running ahead and putting a few lava monsters out of commission. Everything was going relatively smoothly until we came across some strange purple orbs that were hovering over the ground.

"What the…!? Tails, do you know what that is?" I asked, poking it curiously. Surprisingly, it was actually rather cold, and it crumbled upon contact.

"What the heck? That could've been superheated!" Knuckles exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "And you thought it was safe to touch?!"

"Apparently it was," I retorted, rubbing the weird substance between my fingers and watching it sprinkle to the ground. Tails lifted up his communicator and scanned another nearby orb.

"I…actually can't depict what that is- my communicator has no data on it!" he exclaimed. I just shrugged and carried on.

"Oh, well, at least we tried," I mused, carrying on. However, the farther we pressed, the darker it seemed to grow, and only the lava below provided any light. "Ugh, how are we even supposed to-"

"WATCH IT-!"

"Omph!"

I had slammed into something- er, ah,_ someone_, but before I could figure out who it was, Knuckles must've done the same thing, because he howled as he tripped over something. Tails started panicking and prepared to throw one of his bombs.

"Dark monsters! Dark monsters!"

"It's _us_, you idiots!" Shadow's voice barked from under me, and he promptly kicked me off to the side. As I stumbled and gathered myself, Knuckle sprang away from whoever he rammed into, which was apparently Rouge.

"Getting frisky in the dark, eh echidna?" she scoffed, and Knuckles stomped his foot.

"Slinking around in the dark seems to be more of your forte, huh Bat Girl?!"

"I see you still haven't found the emerald-"

"Well you haven't either!"

"Knock it off!" Shadow exclaimed, starting to go red. Knuckles and Rouge turned away from each other, and when Shadow glowered at Tails and I, we just threw up our hands in surrender. "…obviously the search for the Chaos Emerald had led us both to the same spot."

"Ahem, yes," I agreed, trying to get back on track. "It really doesn't matter _who_ finds it, as long as we DO find it."

"Exactly," Shadow grunted, folding his arms. I rocked back and forth on my feet nervously as Tails waltzed over to Shadow and gestured towards one of the purple orbs that were everywhere.

"Say…you wouldn't happen to know what those things are made of, would you?"

"They actually feel familiar," stated Shadow who walked over and put his hand near one. "It's like it's made of the same energy that brought Rouge and I here."

"The energy that brought you here…?" Knuckles pondered, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "So the two large jumps in time…were the one that brought you here and the one that took Silver and Blaze to the past!"

Rouge fanned herself as she raised an eyebrow. "Who and who?"

Shadow genuinely seemed curious, but Knuckles shot Rouge down. "No one that concerns you, I assure."

She fumed and puffed out her cheeks, though I noticed that Shadow was watching me intently. Cringing, I took a step back, and he finally looked away. Weird.

"Anyway, we're standing in the middle of a volcano. It's not exactly a place for idle chit chat," he murmured, pointing ahead. "So let's get moving!"

"No need to tell me twice!" I exclaimed, hurrying on ahead before I could be scrutinized again. Shadow grunted but followed after me, and Tails, Knuckles and Rouge flew on after us. "Whew! Out at last!"

We worked our way up another "lavafall", with Tails carrying Knuckles and I and Rouge carrying Shadow. There was nothing but lava below us, but fortunately, a neon purple grind rail was waiting for us. I was the first to jump on it, with Shadow almost directly behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see him studying me again.

"Dude, what's up? You've got that killer instinct look in your eyes and you're aiming it at me."

"There's something I need to ask you, hedgehog," he grimaced.

"I dunno, that last time you asked me a question, it resulted in me exposing deep dark secrets that we don't speak of."

_Please, never speak of them…!_

"Hopefully it won't come that," Shadow retorted quickly, before shaking his head. "No, this whole situation…I feel like I don't have the whole story, and that you've got the missing pieces to it."

I blinked before turning back around again. I really didn't want to explain about Elise and Eggman or Silver, but it sounded like he _was_ really in the dark about a lot of things…though as far as I knew, he'd gotten caught in a time warp and was thrown to the future without anything being explained to him.

_And by the sounds of it, it _wasn't_ through Eggman's time machine. _

"…fine, I'll fill you in, but you'll have to tell me just how you ended up here to begin with," I murmured. Shadow nodded contently.

"Fair enough."

We all leapt off the grind rail and ran on through the volcano, but just as I was about to explain to Shadow, we found ourselves at a very unfortunate dead end.

"So much for carrying on," I murmured, hands on my hips. "There's no path forward!"

"Don't worry," Knuckles of all people boasted, stepping forward and raising up his hands. "I'll take care of it!"

"And you can leave everything to me!" Rouge also butted in as she sashayed to Knuckles' side. "The way ahead may not exist for you guys, but Knuckles and I can find a way through easy."

I had to hold in my laughter at the ridiculous look Knuckles gave to Rouge, because it was _priceless_.

"You're crazy!" he cried, grabbing his head so hard that I thought he'd break his skull. "One minute you're deriding me for being a failure of a treasure hunter, and now you're all willingly ready to try and work with me?"

"It's faster if there are two of us working at it," Rouge returned, smirking. "I'm willing to work with you, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll like it."

"That's a lie."

I and surprisingly Shadow piped up at the same time, and suddenly Knuckles was coming at me with his fists. I managed to hold off one, but the other _pounded _me in the shoulder. In fact, I would've been hit again if it wasn't for Rouge grabbing Knuckles' free hand and pulling him away.

"Come on, let's get this over with…besides, we need to _talk_."

As she sauntered off, Knuckles looked back and Tails and I with the look of a trapped badger (I…I can't even explain…), and as much as I wanted to relieve him of that situation, I just remembered all those times I was being dragged off by a partially obsessive girl and Knuckles wasn't quick enough to jump to my rescue…

_And I put on the biggest, toothiest grin I could muster up in that moment and waved him goodbye. _

"You two are cold," Shadow remarked, appearing surprised. "…I approve."

"Yes, well, he usually merely laughs at my misfortunes with Amy…so I guess I get to laugh last this time."

I glanced to my right, and I found that Shadow had the tiniest sign of a smile of his face.

_If I had blinked in that instant, I would've missed it._

**S-K**

The _nerve_ of that Bat Girl, weaseling her way in on my mission that I wanted to do by myself! Chaos forbid she let me look good for a change, always trying to one-up me with her apparent finesse and style that I so didn't have the time for! And now she had the gall to drag me around?! Ugh.

_And as usual, this whole thing was Sonic's fault!_

'Oh, I met this girl like two days ago! She's a princess and her name's Eliza or something and she keeps getting kidnapped, and I'm TOTALLY willing to walk straight into a blatant trap, give away my Chaos Emerald, and have me and my buddies thrown into an apocalyptic future! And while we're there, let's jump into an _active volcano_!'

I knew he was insane, but that…that's ridiculous! I just wanted to find out what the cause of the two times jumps were, and now I know, and I want to go home. This is way more than I asked for, and being dragged about by this crazy bat wasn't making anything better!

I was trying my best to remain level-headed after Sonic's rant at me, but everything was so frustrating and working against me _personally_, and I didn't know how much more I could take! The only solace I had was that the Master Emerald was relatively safe, since Rouge was here with us and Eggman was in Soleanna, so at least I didn't have _that_ nagging feeling in the back of my head…

I grabbed my head with my free hand- I was getting a headache from all the frustration. All I had to do was just work with Rouge for a little while and we could go home-

"Quit being so insufferable," she cawed at me, letting go of my hand and practically dropping me on the ground.

_Nevermind, still ticked!_

Glowering at her, I took back my arm and bared my fangs. I was so not putting up with this.

"You have no room to talk!" Rouge had stepped up to interrupt, but I silenced her with a look. "But if we _really_ have to figure this out together, then enough with the jabs. I'm sick of this future."

_And just about everything else, but I'll simply chalk it up to a bad day. _

"All right, hon; I'm sick of this place too," She caved in WAY too easily, and I eyed her suspiciously. She had a plan; she was_ always _scheming for the upper hand like that… "The sad part is that this volcano is much easier on the eyes than the city and what's left of White Acropolis were."

"Yeah, well, coming to this volcano was Sonic's stupid idea, and it's a miracle we haven't burst into flames from this heat yet," I muttered, growing internally enraged at "Sonic's stupid ideas" again.

Rouge flew up and appeared to scan the horizon. "Actually, Shadow said that the Chaos Emerald was in this volcano, pinning it as the blame for its activity. I don't know whether it's true or not, but something's definitely here- can you feel it?"

Admittedly, yes, I did feel a faint presence of Chaos Energy in the area, which was the only reason why I hadn't ditched everyone in the volcano. I hated to admit it, but Sonic had been right, and the Chaos Emerald did happen to be in the area, and maybe his instincts weren't so unfounded after all.

_But I'd be dead before he heard it from me. _

"Yeah," I finally said, and Rouge gained a look of surprise. I just didn't say anything earlier to avoid giving Sonic the satisfaction of being right."

Somehow, I got the sense that she found it amusing, but she didn't comment on it, instead flying on and beckoning to me. "Anyway, Knuckie, standing around here won't get us far. Let's get to it."

Hating her use of "Knuckie" as always, I simply glided after her, obeying for now.

_It was the only way we would get anywhere. _

The way ahead was dangerously prominent in lava, and seeing that I could glide and cling to the walls if need be was why I had volunteered to scout on ahead. It wasn't until I flew after Rouge did I remember that she could do all of that too, and on a far more regular basis than me, hence why no one had protested to our team up.

_And it sailed right over my head…_

As I stewed in thought, I caught a few monsters lingering down below, and Rouge was blissfully flying right over them as they were preparing to fire. Instinct took over as I flew ahead of her and returned to the ground, staring down my foes.

"Stop," I warned, throwing out my arm to prevent her from going any farther. "There are far too many enemies ahead. We'll have to take them out."

She halted as I planned, but of course she had to question my motives. "Okay, I can hit them at range, but what are you going to do?"

_I'd show her…!_

I wasted no time in running at the fire worm, raising my fist high and smashing it satisfyingly into the ground. The whole area quaked, and I watched as a crack formed around the fire worm, causing it to hiss out. Smirking, I leaping into the air, put my hands together, and slammed them onto the worm's head in one giant punch, returning it to the crevice where it crawled out from.

I stared at a few charred areas on my mittens, but I didn't have much time to linger seeing as more monsters decided that they wanted to rumble with me. Punching my fists together and taking a ready stance, I beckoned a group of deadly-looing lizards to come at me, while in the back on my head I wondered what Rouge was doing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her bringing her own brand of pain, one I had been on the wrong end of many times before. She was going at the birds with her bombs and a ton of gusto, and moved with a precise yet forceful grace, but my focus was drawn on the group of laser-shooting purple lizards in front of me.

"Okay, let's go," I grumbled, punching the first two and dodging a blow from the third. I then grabbed the third –it wasn't as warm as I anticipated- and slammed it into the first two, defeating them on the spot. There was one more that was bigger than the first three, taking the time to hiss at me and rev up an attack. Snarling, I pounded my fist into the ground, causing two large rocks to literally pop out of the ground. I grabbed them, smirking at the monster, before crushing him beneath the might of the stones.

"Yeah, how's that?" I snarked, dusting my hands off and looking around. Nothing of particular interest caught my eye, other than the fact that Rouge had mysteriously vanished, but just as I went to look for her, something hit me in the back, sending me to the ground and causing a cloud of dust to ascend in the air. Grunting, I managed to look over my shoulder to see a herd of monsters working their way over to me, and I'd been hit by a fire ball.

"Aw, great…"

I managed to pick myself up and get into a fighting position again, finding myself entirely surrounded. I needed complete focus, utterly clarity, and had to utilize the pinnacle of my fighting prowess-

"Hey, Knuckles!"

_Oh, yay. _

Rouge picked this fabulous time to come back to me, but I can at least credit her for seeing the threat and getting behind me to watch my back.

"Oh, decided to come back didja?" I jeered, seeing as I could've used her help earlier. She was flustered now, and she started launching into one of her spiels.

"Uh, no. I think I found out what we need to do to get out of here-"

"Jump!" I cut her off, and I was fleetingly surprised to see that she listened. She soared up as I punched the ground, the aftershock stunning the surrounding monsters. When Rouge came back down, she told me to duck for whatever reason, so I returned the favor, and I felt her leg sweep over me and made harsh contact with a fire bird. It landed with a thud before vanishing in smoke, and I found myself impressed when I stood back up.

"Nice," I told her as I watched the movements of a lizard.

"Not bad yourself, hon," she hummed, blowing up a fire bird with her bomb. "But then again, you never were."

_Wait, what?_

I was so used to nothing but scathing remarks and constant stabs to my ego from her, so hearing a compliment threw my mind for a loop. I barely knew to punch the lizard in the face when the time was right because I was so dazed. Still, I sensed that danger was still imminent, so I instinctively hooked my arms around Rouge's.

"Kick out your legs!" I barked, and whether she was ready or not I whirled around with her on my back, using her legs as makeshift weapon. The monsters were knocked down like weeds, and I thought we were in perfect rhythm until she took to the air and gave me this urgent look.

"Listen, Knuckles, there's a door-"

Three monsters were coming up on me, and in my haste I may have come off a bit harsher than I intended.

"Can't it wait until we're done here?"

I had started wrestling with one of those infernal lizards, so I couldn't focus on Rouge at the moment. She must've really been offended though, because that girl broke out into a _rampage._

"Enough!" she screamed, and the lizard and I paused long enough to watch her drill into a fire worm and pummel it into the ground with nothing but her feet. Rouge then looked up with an infernal snarl, and out of fear for my safety I ducked down when she hurled a bomb at a fire bird by my head. It then occurred to me that she was probably going to go for the lizard next, so I high tailed it out of range, and I must've picked the right choice, because she landed a_ nasty_ kick to its face- one so hard that it flipped the lizard straight into the lava.

_And then there were two. _

"Ra-Rouge?" I found myself stuttering and sweating, holding my hands up defensively. She barked at me to shut up and it figured that it was for the best to remain silent.

"While you were fighting, I found this weird orb thing that lit up when I touched it, and a door in the distance started to glow too," she explained, and my eyes lit up. "…I think that there are more of those and we need to find them."

I pondered this, recognizing it as a classic defense mechanism that my ancestors used to use. "…it's probably a case of all the lights shining at once so the way will appear…"

"Yeah, that's basically what I was building up to," she sighed, and I felt her lithe fingers latch around my arm. "And it is pretty dark in here…"

"We've got nothing to worry about," I told her, holding my hand out. "You can see well in the dark, and I've got the instinct for this kind of thing, so we'll be done in no time."

"…you're right," she finally replied, smiling coyly at me as we got a move on. "After all, we've got two great treasure hunters who can find the pieces of a scattered emerald, can't we?"

"Aaaand the deriding is gone again," I exasperated, making my way away from her and toward the next glowing orb that she claimed we needed.

"Yes, well, at least I'm not lying this time."

I kept walking forward, on the alert for anything shining in the dark. "It doesn't matter- I refuse you let you use your mind games on me anymore."

She seemed genuinely confused as she glided after me. "Uh, mind games? What are you accusing me of now?"

I threw myself hands up and heaved a sigh. "Because, just when you actually seem like a competent person that I don't mind talking to and doesn't grate on my nerves every minute, you're mean, and you yell, and it's unnecessary! You're nice now, but as soon as we go back to the others, you'll just go back to your normal scathing self."

I hadn't exactly seen how she reacted to it, as I had found one of the orbs and struck it while she was adamant in remaining behind me, but when she came back at me with such veracity in her voice, I realized I might've hit a nerve.

_I can't help that I couldn't always filter what's on my mind…_

"I'm only mean and I yell because you never hear me otherwise!" she exclaimed, and I looked over my shoulder to see her not decomposed, but not on her guard either. "I don't even _like_ making a big deal out of everything, but it's the only way to get people to pay attention…"

She flashed her fangs and glanced away, staring at some interesting spot on the ground.

"It's just like when I first met you- I was actually going to give it all up when I found that I was outmatched, as much as I wanted that emerald, but then you kept shouting over me and I got fed up and ended up chasing down the pieces anyway," she sneered. "And I couldn't even entirely do _that_."

I remembered that day- I'd been minding my own business, watching the Master Emerald as always, and she had shown up to steal it. She'd been adamant and self-assured, and I never would've guessed that she ever figured she was outmatched- in our fight on the ARK, we proved to be pretty even, and Rouge was always so confident anyway.

I could hardly believe that she'd been willing to give up the chance for the Master Emerald, especially with how vigorously she throttled me after I smashed it for its own safety, but I didn't think the betrayal of emotion in her voice could lie…

I currently stood quiet, watching as she moved and threw her arms about in midair, almost not even frustrated at me- more like she was mad at herself.

"So yeah, that's why I constantly taunt you, because that's the only way you'll talk to me," Rouge continued, folding her arms. "Even after Shadow had saved you from the explosion in Central City and_ I_ was the one that got you medical help, you wouldn't listen to me when I suggested you stay, and then I got mad-"

"Well that wasn't because of you; I told you and everyone that if I was going to be away from the Master Emerald, I wanted to do something to help, not sitting around like a wounded dog," I insisted, shaking my head as I started scaling a wall. I then felt my lips press together as I tried to think of something else to say. "And, uh, well, sorry if I'm not the best listener- I live on an island of solitude; I'm not exactly the best conversationalist, though I can listen when I know that I'm _supposed_ to."

She fidgeted a bit, and while I knew she was uncomfortable, I wasn't about to let it be all about her either.

"'Sides, I don't care how much you compare yourself to those gems you love so much- you're not perfect. You have a knack for making yourself the center of attention, and that's pretty annoying too. I mean, I've gotta deal with Sonic for that- I don't need a girl version too!"

I flipped to the top of the cliff, finding another purple orb to smack. When I did, I sensed that the door Rouge had mentioned earlier had started to rumble, though I recalled that there were still two left to find.

"I know," she sighed after the longest time, and I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't in a dream or unconscious or in a coma. "…Chaos, don't look so stunned. If it wasn't for Shadow, I wouldn't even be half as tolerable."

Rouge bounded off the edge of the cliff and soared over the lava, and I saw that she was headed for the fourth orb being guarded heavily by a hulking brute monster. But seeing as she had piqued my interest now, there was no way she was going to get away now.

"What do you mean if it wasn't for Shadow?!" I insisted. She simply alighted back on the ground and folded back her wings, two bombs perched in her hands as she tossed them at the brute. They exploded against its stony exterior, but I didn't think it did much.

_Not that I expected heart-shapes explosives to pack a punch. _

"He told me that I should try being nicer," she explained, and as she brought down the brute with a single sweeping kick, I had suppress my laugh.

"'Mr. Unsmiley' himself told you that YOU need to be nicer," I found myself chuckling anyway. Rouge's ear twitched as she activated the fourth orb, shaking her head.

"He's not some grump, Knuckie," she attempted to explain, taking a thinking position. "Shadow's a realist, never sugar coating anything, but never making it any worse than it needs to be…and trust me, he never lets me forget. It's practically _forbidden_ for me to make a joke around him."

"Never stopped Sonic," I murmured under her breath, but it escaped me that she had excellent hearing and overheard me, falling into laughter at some hidden realization. It was then that I'd never heard her genuinely laugh- it was kind of pretty.

"A-Anyway, any sign of that fifth orb?" I inquired, turning away as I felt my face grow hot. I couldn't see her, but I knew she must've caught my sudden apprehension.

"I can't see it, but I'd assume it's the closest to the door, so we can always make our way over there," Rouge suggested, already making the steps towards it. "And we have to remember how impatient Sonic and Shadow are; they're probably going stir crazy!"

I allowed myself a slight smirk to her quick quip, though I wasn't really up for walking. Rouge went to turn around when I spontaneously decided to take to the air, only to collapse back to the ground and vanish beneath the molten rock.

In a way that Rouge couldn't understand, earth was my element, and as I dug around underground, I felt like I was speeding through water, moving through the rock like it wasn't even there. It was how I got around quickly, but I could only be underground for so long too.

When I popped back up again, I found myself directly under the fifth orb, with Rouge hovering just above it. I guess our competitive spark charged right then and there, because we both scrambled for the orb at the same time, thought we ended up touching it simultaneously. The door that was located not too far from us shimmered in the dark and rumbled open, not only revealing a way forward, but also causing the lava to lower slightly and show a path that led up to the door for the others to follow.

"Well what do you know!" Rouge exclaimed, hands on her hips. "There are more gems in that cave!"

Her latter statement threw me for a loop, but I shouldn't have been surprised, especially when she made a beeline for the cave. Seeing as I had to rush through the last cave I encountered, I followed her in, inspecting the crystals with a more intent curiosity-

And found her trying to pry one out of the wall.

"Come on, come on! I'll show Shadow that I can get one…" she grumbled to herself. I watched as she desperately kicked at the gem, making no headway in dislodging it. After watching her closely, I realized what was wrong.

"You're putting all your effort into the wrong area," I stated blatantly, and Rouge gave me a bewildered look. I meandered over and gestured to the gem she wanted, pointing at the base rather than the tip she was kicking at. "It's stuck from over here, and while that may be where it's sturdiest, it's also where it's most vulnerable."

_Let's just say it was a little something I learned back home. _

I then wedged my fist beneath the crystal, pushing my spurs into the wall. With an expert pull, and using my hand as a sort of crow bar, I managed to pry the crystal out of the wall, and had it fall right into my palm. Rouge watched me with astonished eyes, though I tossed the crystal back to her and started to backtrack.

"Now come on. The others are waiting…probably impatiently."

I started making my way out, expecting Rouge to follow.

"Knuckles?"

Now it was my turn to be astonished, because she used my actual name, and I whirled around to find her standing in the middle of the cave, cupping the gem in her hands as her gaze rolled up from it and met mine.

"Thank you."

_I grabbed my chest to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack. _

"Er, I, uh-"

I was so stunned by the action that I couldn't make a coherent thought, but Rouge sauntered up to me until she was right next to me, smiling slyly.

"And, you know, I _do_ still owe you my life. I didn't exactly show that I was grateful at the time, but what you did didn't completely register until later. I haven't forgotten."

I nervously scratched the back of my head. "Well, you helped me out too, so I guess we're even-"

She planted a kiss on my cheek; it was soft and quick and instantly made my face go red. When she pulled away, she winked at me.

"Nah, now we're even."

Rouge then spread her wings and soared out of the cave, tucking the gem away for safe keeping and leaving me dumbfounded in the cave. After finally returning to my senses, I shook my head and glided out of the cave myself, my hand resting on my cheek.

"…she's still crazy."

* * *

**End Flame Core Chapter, Part 1! And holy cow, first alternate futures for our heroes, now giving Knuckles and Rouge the closure that the games never did...next thing you know I'll be spewing conspiracy theories behind this whole plot! ...wait a minute.**

**...well, good thing it all never _really_ happens, huh? ;P **


	9. Memories of Hope and Questions

**SonicSonic54321**: I don't have three- Knuckles and Rouge is the only Sonic couple I can even admit to enjoying. Everything else just depends on who the characters are and how they're being handled. For example, I could hate Sonic and Amy from one writer but tolerate it from another, all depending on handling. *shrug*

...I guess I'm a touch analytical when it comes to romance. xD

**WintersEdge7:** Thanks! I was a little nervous about putting the touch of romance in there, but it seems to have gone over well! I really just wanted Knuckles and Rouge to get some resolution after all this time, even if they will forget it in the end. ^^;

. . .

**We interrupt your regularly scheduled epic Iblis battle to bring you the perspective of -technically- the other main character of this story. T'was originally tacked onto the last chapter (ALONG with the rest of Flame Core), but it really broke the flow and just seemed out of place. We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment that may follow, so we've provided you with a complimentary apology cookie. Pick any flavor you like!**

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 8: Memories of Hope and Questions

After Eggman's _delirious_ spiel about how he was going to take over time itself, he placed me into a cell and told me I would stay there until I was ready to comply. Too bad for him, I was NEVER going to comply.

_Not after what he did to my city, not after learning what he planning to do, and _certainly _not after what he did to Sonic! _

He and his friends had been tossed through time because they were trying to help me, and I felt responsible all over again. I just wanted to see Sonic in front of me again, so I could apologize profusely and beg forgiveness…

But then I remembered the one and only thing he needed from me…

"_Elise, your apology for something that isn't your fault is unnecessary…Your smile; that's all I need."_

That day had been one thing after another, between the valley, the attack by Silver, and the incident in the base…but because Sonic was there in all of those cases, none of those things seemed so bad. For Sonic, it was just another step in life; another piece of his latest adventure. Nothing was too bad of a situation for Sonic, and if there was, he hadn't experienced it yet…and by the way he moved and ran and thought about life, he wouldn't want to sit around and wait for that next thrill- he'd go out and get it!

"_Nothing starts until you take action!"_

I was tired of waiting around myself, and if Sonic found me here, patiently twiddling my thumbs, I don't think he'd approve. I needed to take action myself; I had to depend on myself to get out of here and help Sonic in any way I could…!

_Even if that simply meant keeping the Flames of Disaster away from Eggman._

I rose from my seat and marched toward the metallic door, fumbling with the door handle. It was currently locked, but if I shook it just enough, I figured I could wiggle it open…otherwise I was going to have to use my heels to dig out some sort of hole in the wall.

As I fiddled with the lock, I almost thought I heard someone talking on the other side of the wall…and it certainly wasn't Eggman.

"I've been trying to find Sonic…but now I think I'M in trouble…!"

I then realized that whoever it was could help get me out of here, so in an excited panic I started banging on the door.

"Hey! Help, HELP!" I called, but I don't think my voice carried enough. I grabbed the handle again and shook it vigorously. "Oh, come on! You can't stay locked forever…!"

"Maaaybe I should just walk away real quietly before they spot me…"

"No! Don't leave!" I shouted, desperately throwing myself against the door with heavy repeated thuds. Miracles being what they were, the handle finally slipped down and the door whooshed open, and if I hadn't been hanging on, I would have completely fallen forward on my face. Still, I managed to stop myself, otherwise I would've fallen right onto-

…a pink hedgehog?

"Oh…?!"

We both were stunned into silence, at least, until the alarms started going off with my escape.

"Prisoner has escaped from cell block C-17. All patrolling guards begin searching immediately."

"Oh dear…" I hummed under my breath, but the girl suddenly grabbed my wrist and started to lead me away.

"This way!" she called to me, haphazardly dragging me down the hall with little forewarning. "We're not too far from the exit, you know!"

"O-Okay!" was all I could stammer out before she whisked me off. She actually moved surprisingly fast- nowhere near as close as Sonic, but she was speedy in her own right. However, it wasn't quite enough to completely get away from the patrolling robots, who were amassing in the hall in one giant swarm. They started shooting in our direction, and instinctively I felt my shield surround the both of us.

"Whoa, how are you doing that?!" the girl asked, but I shook my head.

"I hardly know myself…"

"Well, get behind me! We can't be on the defensive all the time!"

As I shuffled behind her back, the girl drew a hammer from quite literally nowhere and rushed straight at the approaching robots.

"Man, I came all the way here for nothing, and now the place is full of bad guys! Come get a piece of Amy Rose, clunkers…!"

I watched as Amy ran the length of the wall for split second, leaping off and battering back a whole row of robots. They went flying back into ones behind them, metal scratching and crunching ringing out into the hall afterward. She smirked in the robots' direction, doing a front flip and bringing her hammer down on one that was trying to attack her. She then twirled around like a top, causing crash after crash that resulting with shrapnel flying into the air in every possible direction.

_I was glad I managed to get on her good side._

"The coast should be clear for the time being," she told me perkily, taking my wrist again and running on. I struggled to keep up, but there was no way I was tripping here!

"Can I ask what you're even doing here? Not that I don't _want_ you here, but seeing you was so unexpected-"

"My friend is in danger, and I managed to track him to Eggman's base, but I think he's gone already…" she explained, her ears drooping sadly. I tried to picture who that would be, but she DID mention Sonic in her ramblings earlier…

"Yeah, there's no one left here but the doctor and I…" I added disappointedly.

"I know, and while I may not have gotten here in time, at least I didn't leave empty-handed!" she chuckled. "Why's Eggman got you all locked up anyway? Usually he only kidnaps people for bait."

"…I guess I have something he wants, but I absolutely refuse to give it to him, so he's keeping me here until I comply…"

"Good girl!" Amy exclaimed, drawing her hammer again, revving it back, then bringing it forward on the metal door in front of us. With a whine, it caved in on itself and snapped off its hinges. Amy proceeded to kick the door out of our way with a loud grunt. "About time that mustache monkey realized that his threats mean nothing to anyone!"

She motioned for me to follow her outside, but as soon as I did, I was struck with a paralyzing cold. I had entered White Acropolis via one of Eggman's transports, so I was protected from these harsh elements beforehand…

_Amy seemed fine though._

"To the car!" she exclaimed, and before I could ask what the heck she was talking about, Amy jumped into the driver's seat of a thick-looking black vehicle. She turned to me with her bright jade eyes and patted the seat next to her. "Can you believe I found this thing discarded in the middle of the snow? How lucky am I?"

"Very, and so am I, I suppose…" I said through chattering teeth. Amy helped me in, and while it was a bit of a tight squeeze, I managed to get in. Amy then eyed me curiously, seeing me shuddering uncontrollably with cold.

"Oh man, you're a human!" she suddenly shrieked, and I gave her a quizzical look.

"That wasn't obvious before…?"

"No, no, it just completely slipped my mind that you're completely susceptible in this cold! Especially in that dress- it looks good, don't get me wrong- but MAN!"

"I'll be fine," I tried to assure, but Amy crawled into the back truck and fiddled around for something.

"You are not going to turn into a popsicle on my watch!" she declared, her face suddenly brightening. "Ah ha! Here we go- wrap yourself in this!"

She hurled a hideously ugly green blanket at me, and while it wasn't very appealing to the eyes, it was very soft and warm, and I knew better to complain. I covered up as much of me as I could in my seat, and almost instantly I found myself feeling better. Amy adjusted back into her seat at me, and I gratefully nodded at her.

"Thank you," I stated, but she waved a finger at me.

"Don't thank me yet! We've still got to get out of here! Now, how do I start this thing again…?"

_I'm going to die._

Eventually Amy managed to get the engine running, with me looking over my shoulder at the Egg Gunners that were closing in on us. Just when they started to shoot, Amy slammed her foot on the gas, and we propelled forward, sending up a huge cloud of smoke and snow in our wake. I let out a scream, but it was more out of adrenaline than fear, I realized.

"Woo, what a rush! So much for me getting out of there quietly!" Amy laughed. "Are you all right, Miss?"

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to you," I replied, pulling tighter into my blanket. "But…you said you were here to help out a friend?"

Amy then became a bit sad as she nodded. "Yeah…I got into a huge misunderstanding with a guy I met a few days ago, and it turns out he's…not nearly as nice as I thought he was."

"I'm so sorry…"

"It's all right; I'm just glad that I was able to save my friend before it was too late." She bucked up considerably, smiling again. "So now, I'm trying to find him again, just in case that crazy lunatic comes back."

"I'm trying to help out a friend too," I explained, watching the snow pass us by as we crossed over the rugged terrain in the night. "I'm not nearly as incredible as he is, but I'm trying to do what I can too."

"Oh, I hear that," Amy started, tossing her hair over her shoulder as best she could. "For the longest time, I barely did anything to contribute to the cause, never realizing the gravity of what was going on around me…but then I had to watch someone close to me almost get killed, and it was at that point that I realized I need to be more independent and active."

She veered around an outcropping of rock, nearly tipping the vehicle, and I jumped in my seat when it slammed back on the ground.

"So ever since then, I've done my best to be supportive whenever I can, and it's really done wonders for me…! I've been less of a burden, and it feels great! Not everybody sees it my way yet, but one day, I'll be so awesome they won't even recognize me!"

I giggled and smiled at her, admiring her resolve. "I wish I had your kind of conviction."

"Everyone's got it," Amy assured me with a grin. "It just takes some longer to find it than others, that's all."

"Well, how did you find it?" I asked, and Amy adjusted in her seat and laughed.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story. You see…"

And we conversed all the way through the night, and I had to admit…it was fun.

. . .

Talking seemed to make the time getting out of White Acropolis go by faster, and soon enough, it was already morning and we were back in Soleanna City. I was enjoying walking in the sun a little too much, but when you were captured for over a day and knew you had a castle to get back to, little moments had to be taken in stride.

Amy was flouncing next to me, apparently feeling proud that she had executed a rescue all by herself. It wasn't what she originally planned, but she was thrilled nonetheless. I hated to have to part with her so soon, but I couldn't be out in the open too much longer- Eggman's mechs would find me for sure!

"Thank you so much for rescuing me," I told her, leaning down and giving her a smile. "I am SO grateful!"

"Aw, you would've done the same for me," she waved off, hopping in front of me. "To think, we went through all that and we haven't even introduced ourselves! I'm Amy, Amy Rose!"

"That's a really pretty name," I told her truthfully. "My name is Elise…the third. I was named after my mother, who was named after my grandmother."

Amy seemed to freeze after I said that, scanning me up and down as if she couldn't believe I was standing there. She then shrieked out of the blue, making me cringe like she was going to attack.

"Elise…wait, you're not _Elise_, the princess of Soleanna, ARE you?!"

"…yes, that's me," I stated quietly. "But really, I'm just a normal girl like you-"

"Oh, don't worry! If you don't want any royal treatment, I understand," Amy replied, and I sighed in relief. "I was just going to say that I bet someone was already on their way to rescue you!"

_Yes, and that person is now probably spiraling aimlessly through time, thanks to Eggman…_

"Um, yes, but someone I know said to me…that nothing starts until you take action," I explained, finding myself smiling at the memory. "So, I decided to heed his advice!"

I was expecting a more profound response than "Hmm," but Amy was suddenly really lost in thought. She then gained a dangerously sly and coy smile, and something in me felt like it was going to regret was she asked next.

"Saaaaaay, you wouldn't happen to have feelings for this person, would you?"

"What?! How could you possibly deduce that from me taking his advice…?" I stammered, eyes going wide. Where did THAT question come from?!"But no, of course not-"

"It's okay! Love changes everything!" she interrupted, lost on some dreamy spiel that made my face go red. "It feels like every little moment in your life is huge, doesn't it?!"

Amy stared up at me expectantly with sparkles in her eyes, and I was seriously lost for a coherent answer. I never really even had a friend up until a few days ago; I certainly didn't have the chance to know what love felt like…or how to know if that was really how I felt.

I glanced at the ground with a downcast look, but Amy was insistent, tugging on my glove.

"So, what does this guy look like? Have you already been on a date with him?" she pried, thirsty for details that I wasn't entirely sure that I had.

"Well, no," I answered quickly, shaking my head. "I can definitely say I haven't really-"

"A one-way love! That's so cute!" Amy squealed as she danced around me, and for whatever reason I had the feeling that she knew what THAT was like. "Come on! There's no need to be shy!"

_I was more confused beyond belief than shy, but…_

"Look, you're a princess and you're super cute. THAT guy's the lucky one!" Amy continued despite my silence, skipping around now. "I also have someone that I'm pursuing too. I wish us both luck!"

She grabbed my hands and smiled so brightly that I couldn't help but grin and nod too. She then started giggling, which in turn made me laugh too. Even if I wasn't sure whether or not I had "feelings", as she described, it was so nice to have a chat like that with another girl that I didn't care. Amy was different from Sonic in the way that she empathized me on a more personal level, and we could speak mutually. Sonic gave me hope and understood what my life was like, but he was so free and unrestrained that he truly didn't know what it was like, but he still put in the effort…

Even after Amy had escorted me to the entrance to the castle and bid me goodbye to continue her search for her friend, what Amy had been implying kept buzzing around in my head. The thought had never crossed my mind until she had brought it up, and I didn't know what to think anymore…I didn't know what love was like…I thought I just had a really strong friendship, but was it something more?

Was I…Did I…Had I…

…had I fallen in love with _him_?

_I really didn't know for sure, but as long as he was removed from my timeline, I guess I wouldn't find out._

The walk up the stairs had been a tad lonely after all my adventures, but after spending a night in White Acropolis, I was more than ready for the familiarity. It would give me time to clear my thoughts and bring order back to my kingdom, for my country had to come first. However, before I had a chance to get through the doors, a large silver mech descended in front of me and blocked off my way forward.

_No…!_

I tried turning back, immediately sensing the danger, but I found myself completely surrounded by Egg Gunners of all shapes and sizes at this point. My heart leapt into my throat, especially when Doctor Eggman rose up behind me in his personal transport. He appeared relatively placid, but I was confident that he wasn't pleased about my getaway.

"Thought you could escape, eh?! Good thing you're so terribly predictable," he taunted me, stroking his hideous mustache. "I've been waiting patiently for you to return to your castle, princess…"

The claws on his transport reached out, and I had nowhere to run to get out of the way. Those cold metallic appendages wrapped around me and squeezed away any chances of me getting away.

"With Sonic gone, you'll never be able to escape again!" he cawed, and I bit my lip sadly. "...so I hope you've enjoyed your last time being out and about, because the next time you see you castle, it will be AFTER I've pried the secret of the Flames of Disaster from you! Oh, ho ho ho ho…!"

As he flew off and took me away again, I felt disappointed at failing to fully get away…and yet strangely content as well. I had successfully managed to flee from Eggman, even if just for a little while, which had put off his plans for just a bit longer, anyway…

_Just long enough to buy Sonic some time…and I still believed that he was coming back._

* * *

**...So Elise's little crush is totally Amy's fault, just saying- *bricked* Er, anyway, it's really tricky to write Elise when she had the personality of a lovesick twig, so I take any moment I can to make her seem like a better character. As stated above, it's all about handling (and in some cases, a lot of smoke and mirrors). Enjoy the virtual cookies, guys! **

**Joking aside, I promise Iblis is next, and then we get a little break from Sonic's story for a while. 'Bout time. ;P **


	10. Memories of Super Powered Teamwork

**WintersEdge7**: Elise is actually quite interestingly complex (despite my small jabs at her xD), but you'd never know it with just one look. Thanks again for reading!

**werewolf99**: Well thank you! It was received a lot better than I anticipated, so I'm happy to hear that!

**Katz4**: The 'deep dark secrets' are a reference to a certain conversation later on in 'I Am All of Me', which is my take on Shadow's game. And that trapped badger comment was more of me questioning my weird word choice through Sonic. :P

Plus, who doesn't love a good pun? There's plenty more coming up!

. . .

**Ah...I feel like Shadow's part should come first for a few little things, but it doesn't make too relevant of a difference...SO ONWARDS!**

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 9: Memories of Super Powered Teamwork

Waiting for Knuckles and Rouge was so _boring_.

They were probably wasting time trading blows or swapping spit, and _waiting_ here on a slab of rock entirely surrounded by lava and preventing escape wasn't serving to get my blood pumping. Tails was sitting patiently, but Shadow was just as antsy as I was, even though he was sitting like he was trying to meditate. I was leaning against a rock myself, with my arms latched behind me, and I couldn't resist a rather sinister smirk.

"Taking a page out of Espio's book, eh Shads?"

He somehow managed to glower at me with only one open eye. "I figured there must be some reason as to why he performs the action so often."

"Maybe that's because he's a _ninja_," I interjected, and I now had his full attention. "Unless, of course, you're going down that path too. You'd be a real shadow in the night!"

Shadow stared at me blankly, and even Tails was giving me a headshake.

…_everyone's a critic._

"Anyway, Sonic, I believe there's some info I need from you," Shadow began, and I inwardly groaned as Tails glanced at me curiously. "We were rudely interrupted before."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya- can't even have a little fun first," I murmured, stretching and getting comfortable. "Frankly, I don't quite know where to begin…"

"What're you tryna tell him?" Tails mumbled.

"He wants to know what exactly we've been up to, and in exchange he'd tell us his story," I elaborated, starting to stand up. Tails immediately sensed what was coming and moaned sarcastically.

"Oh dear, he's going to dip into the theatrics…"

"Too bad it's not dinner and a show," Shadow remarked, cuing Tails to snicker. I spent a second grimacing before launching full force into my tale.

"If you two _comedians_ would hush for a second, I'll begin," I huffed, perching a foot on a rock. "First and foremost, Eggman seeks to control time, hence why he needed my Chaos Emerald and it's also how Tails, Knuckles, and I ended up tossed here."

"I see," Shadow mused, folding his arms while drumming his fingers. Apparently my story wasn't engaging enough for him...time to turn on the flair!

"But wait, there's more! The fair princess of Soleanna, apparently in possession of something that Eggman desperately needs, is kidnapped! And in fact, her death, predicted the day after we all were thrown forward in time, leads to the future we are currently in."

Shadow's eyes rose curiously, but he didn't elaborate further...which I was grateful for, because I didn't want to share what apparently happened to all of us.

_And how Shadow was apparently still alive in this time._

"And if that's not enough, we just recently learned that the guy who's trying to kill me-"

"Okay, _what_?" Shadow interrupted with some intrigue, leaning forward. "Someone's trying to kill you? I don't remember hiring an assassin..."

I sneered and rolled my eyes. "Oh ha- you're just as hilarious as Knuckles. But no, he was seriously out for my blood, because even though Elise's death results in this future, Silver claimed that _I_ was the cause of all this, which is why he went back in time to try and eliminate me-"

Shadow's eyes suddenly flared with a fire that definitely hadn't been there previously. He practically lunged at me, and Tails was getting ready to pounce on him just in case, but I flipped out of the way and watched him carefully.

"Slow down," he demanded on the spot. "This Silver character… he _time_ travelled?!"

"Yeah, and also _tried to kill me_," I pointed out. "But I'm not even sure if his misguided rage is even his fault…"

Shadow eyed me up and down, thirsty for more information. "What do you mean?"

"Well, that's because someone _told_ him I brought despair to the world, so he figured that eliminating me was how to fix it." I wasn't sure why_ he_ was so riled up, because I was the one on the chopping block, but I merely shrugged. "Silver also wasn't the one who teleported- the guy who was talking to him caused it."

"Tell me more!" Shadow practically roared, and admittedly I inched back. "What'd the blast look like? What did this GUY look like?!"

"Aah, he simply created a giant purple ball of energy with nothing but his two hands and it warped Silver and Blaze to the past!" I exclaimed, now wondering why this was so important. "And the guy who did kinda looked like you but, like, faded or something-"

_My eardrums shattered after that._

"MEPHILES!" Shadow howled to the sky, glowing red beyond control. I actually scrambled over to Tails and we grabbed each other to brace for the worst.

Shadow went off on a complete rampage, growling angry things to himself. He swore up a storm and acting as though he was trying to piece something together, but to me it came off as nothing but a furious splurge of words and I couldn't salve anything from it. Eventually I pulled away from Tails and reached for Shadow's shoulders, trying to get him to come out of it.

"Shadow, calm down!" I exclaimed, and just like that, his angry red aura faded. "Who is Mephiles?! And what's YOUR beef with him?"

Shadow was breathing heavily now, and I could sense his mind racing with thoughts and questions and I swear he was going to burst. But he evened himself out and calmed down enough so he could speak and be understood.

"Mephiles…is the one who put me and Rouge here," he explained with distain, and both Tails and I gasped.

_Whoa, what?!_

"Then that means Mephiles_ is_ the source of power that the Master Emerald sensed!" Tails announced.

"He was trapped in a scepter that Eggman had, but Rouge had gone into White Acropolis to get it from him, and then I was dispatched to get her out…but the next morning when we went to the rendezvous point, Eggman was waiting for us, distracted us, and we ended up breaking the specter," he recounted. "And then this…black smog took over my shadow, and when he took Rouge and I to the future, he then must've went to that computer room and was the figure you saw talking to…what was his name? Slider?"

"Silver," I corrected automatically, but Shadow waved it off.

"The point is, when Mephiles stole my shadow and stood in front of me…he knew my name, and he knew OF me, and I'd never seen him before in my life!"

_Oh no- here we go again._

"Don't start blindly following him because he happens to know your name," I taunted, and he gave me the deadliest glare I'd ever seen from him. Ever. "Otherwise you might find out he's your cousin or something."

"Shut up, Sonic- I know who I am, and no one's ever going to convince me otherwise," he snapped, and I grew quiet. "Still, he knows me…and if it turns out there's a piece of my memory that's still missing-"

I cut him off with my realization, watching him with wide eyes. "…you're doubting yourself, aren't you?"

He stared at me with desperation in his look. Ever since he got his memories back, he was full of confidence, had high self-esteem, and knew who he was and what he wanted to do with his life, and that's all I could ever ask from him. But now, seeing someone like Mephiles who could throw people around in time for his own ends, it made Shadow confused, and as someone who was always deprived of answers and always needed to know the full story…I could understand why he was so frazzled.

"…yeah," he finally said after a while, gazing forward at nothing. "I guess I am."

I pulled away from Shadow, standing tall and folding my arms. "Well, don't let him get to you_ that_ much, because apparently he must've known of me too if he sent Silver to kill me. He IS a time traveler- maybe that's simply how he's so…um, knowing."

The gears were spinning in Shadow's mind, I could tell, yet the words that poured out of his mouth next completely startled me.

"…I need to talk to Silver."

_WHAAAAT?!_

"Dude, he's trying to KILL me!" I exclaimed frantically, running my fingers through my quills. "He can't be reasoned with-!"

"Like he's going to be any match for me," he mused darkly, clutching his fist. "There has to be a specific reason Mephiles dragged Silver into all of this, and if there's any malicious intent, then Silver's either in danger too or he's a pawn."

_I'd be willing to guess pawn._

Shadow faced me gravely and gave a curt nod. "Silver's not going to kill you- especially if I have anything to say about."

Pursing my lips, I folded my arms and stared at the ground. "Yeah, because _you_ never tried to kill me."

"And that was before I realized how much the world needed you," he stated quietly, and I felt my quills stiffen. "The world and your friends need you. You'll leave the world one day, and that's one thing we don't need you to rush into."

I finally broke into a smile, throwing him a wink. "Amen to that, buddy. Just wish I could convince Silver of that, but he was too busy hitting me with a chair."

I swear Shadow was trying to hold in a snicker before Tails sprang to his feet, hovering in the air and pointing in the distance.

"Hey, there's a path forward!" he suddenly cried, and Shadow and I turned to see that some of the lava had lowered and revealed a rocky path ahead. Rouge and Knuckles were flying right at us, flagging us down and giving us the okay that it was fine to progress. I personally was excited, ready to get that emerald and get home.

"Here we go!" I whooped, running down the rock path with Tails over my shoulder. I heard Shadow "hmph" before taking off too, and we followed Knuckles and Rouge's lead to where they had opened the way forward.

"Thank you, Knuckles. I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle?" I asked my red buddy when he landed next to me to make it through the cave. He just grunted and stared forward.

"It was fine; we tried to work quickly," he answered. There was no _way_ that was all there was to it, but I wasn't going to dig around either.

_What happens in a cave stays in a cave!_

Beyond the cave were a few knobby-looking twisted trees with purple bulbs on them, and not even Tails had a rough estimate of what they could've possibly been. I chose not to question their existence- the inexplicable springs that were on them served to get us across the lava pool, and I was fine with that.

In fact, I actually found that the piles and piles of crates that were situated in the volcano were far more peculiar, but I couldn't even figure out why that was. I simple barreled forward and kicked at a fire lizard, while Shadow swooped up behind a fire bird and used Chaos Snap to snap it out of commission. Tails and Rouge were throwing bombs all around us to help avoid getting ambushed, while Knuckles resorted to underground to dismantle fire worms before they could creep up on us.

_We were really starting to get the hang of this!_

After blasting through a ridiculously dangerous half pipe that had plumes of fire and lava spewing everywhere, we all made it out relatively unscathed, coming to a grove of those black trees with the purple knobs on them. As we had pushed ourselves nearly to the limit, we all found one each and leaned on them to take a breather, except Shadow, who had that glint in his eye as he stepped a ways forward.

"The Chaos Emerald!" he exclaimed, and suddenly Rouge, Tails, Knuckles, and I were at his side.

Sure enough, the cyan emerald was up in the air, and I had almost expected a fight to break out between Knuckles and Rouge for it, but they appeared to be whispering amongst themselves before Rouge suddenly took to the air.

"I'll get that perfect little beauty," she sang, gliding up to it and admiring its brilliance. "About time we finally found you…"

As she went to reach for the emerald, a dark disturbance suddenly filled the air, and instinctively my quills went rigid. I glanced over to Shadow, who must've sensed the same thing on a larger scale, 'cause he threw himself forward in a last ditch effort to warn Rouge.

"DON'T TOUCH IT-!"

She brushed the emerald lightly with her fingers, which was a huge mistake, because a sudden blast of fire cascaded around the emerald. Rouge shrieked and jumped back, landing in the middle of the group as Shadow stepped to the front protectively. The rest of us took fighting positions too…

…though I felt my heart skip a beat when a ludicrously huge monster emerged out of the lava and roared in our direction.

_And it ATE the Chaos Emerald!_

"What?!" Rouge exclaimed, looking aghast. "What's _this_?!"

"It's Iblis, the source of the Flames of Disaster!" Tails cried, recalling one of the pictures from the computer.

_That was the thing_ I_ supposedly triggered!?_

Whatever it was, it snaked out of the lava and hissed at us, protectively keeping the emerald in his clutches. It splashed around in the lake of fire like some kind of dolphin worm, but something about it gave me a dangerous feeling regardless.

_And I certainly didn't want anyone getting caught in unexpected crosshairs._

"Leave this to me," I stated, stepping forward and challenging the beast.

"No, I'll take care of this guy," Shadow insisted, moving forward as well.

_Psh, not on my watch!_

"Come on, this guy is cake! I can handle this myself!"

"You don't know that," Knuckles scoffed, shaking his head.

"It doesn't even have any arms- how hard can it be?!" I asked.

Even Rouge was getting on the debate, her hands laced behind her head. "Well, if you think _we're_ just going to stand here while you boys go play beat 'em up, you've got another thing coming."

Tails was the only one not jumping to the chance of fighting Iblis, instead standing off to the side pondering his options.

"We don't even know its fight patterns, but to be perfectly honest, Sonic and Shadow are the most capable of adapting to anything it throws at them," he explained.

"What?! I'm adaptable!" both Knuckles and Rouge shrieked, and Tails merely shrugged.

"Well, I guess we could distract it if need be-"

Both of them groaned.

"Always the distraction," Knuckles grunted.

"Always bait," Rouge added afterwards with a roll of her eyes.

_Always a complainer…_

Regardless, I stepped over to Shadow and gave him a serious look, which he returned in full.

"Well Shadow, looks like we've got to team up one more time," I stated, and he nodded sternly.

"It appears so," he murmured.

I held out my hand, smirking in his direction. "Hey, maybe we'll even work in an Atomic Strike-"

"Whatever," Shadow growled curtly, giving my hand a firm shake. "Just do your part, and do it well."

I gave him a lazy two-finger salute and a grin. "Always."

I then whisked off to the left, trying to assess the situation. Iblis definitely had home field advantage, even though Shadow and I had more range on the edges. Homing attacking it mindlessly could also result in an accidental drop into the lava…and I'm rather fond of my quills.

The monster let out another hiss before sending a thousand little burning particles in my direction, so I darted across the rocky platforms in an attempt to avoid getting rained on by the ashes.

"Grah, it's too far to attack…is there any way to draw it in?"

Thus, I did what anyone else would do in this delicate and dangerous situation.

"Yo, fire face!" I shouted, waving my hands frantically. I got its attention at last, but it still remained in the comfortable safety zone of the lava. "It's about to get hot now!"

Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge's groans were so loud that I even heard them, while Shadow, on the other side of the area, snarled at me.

"What are you doing, you blue idiot?!"

"…failing to come up with a better idea?"

_No kidding- I'd never felt so scrapped for thought in my life._

"Just be careful, Sonic!" Tails called to me, waving his arms. "Against something that large, you won't have a chance on the soft footholds!"

_Wait a minute, soft footholds…?_

The platforms I had were few and didn't go very far, but whenever Iblis roared, more came into existence, eventually forming a path that led straight to more solid-looking rocks with purple orbs on them.

_And those purple orbs WERE pretty attention-grabbing…_

Of course, I didn't know how good this thing's attention span was, but since I was dry for an alternate solution, I was going with that! I whisked myself over the platforms and wove my way around the fire rocks the creature was sending at me, eventually reaching one of the purple orbs and performed an axel kick on it.

"Okay, flame breath! Get a good look at THIS! …and also consider a breath mint!"

The sound it made after that made my ears press flatly to my head, but I also took it as a cue to careen out of the way. Iblis sprang out of the lava and crashed down onto the purple orb like his life depended on it. It struggled for a bit, but eventually I think it got stuck, exposing a nice little green spot on its head that was begging me to spin dash it.

"Here I come!"

As soon as my quills plowed into it, it hissed painfully and flung itself back into the lava. Its tail had hit the platform I landed on though, so the next thing I knew, I was soaring across the area, watching Shadow skate into action from above

"_That's_ how we do it!" I heard him say, making excellent ground across the platforms. "All right monster, you're going to hand over that Chaos Emerald whether you like it or not! Even if we have to pry it from your lifeless corpse!"

_He always did have a flair for the dramatic…_

I landed almost back over where Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge were waiting, nearly dangling over the edge, but I flipped myself to my feet just in time and got the chance to watch Shadow at work. He kept warping his way up to the purple orb, narrowly avoiding missing the monster crush the footholds he stepped on. It even sent some fire rocks his way, but Shadow put up a Chaos Blast to defend.

"You brought this upon yourself!" he bellowed, finally reaching an orb. He punched at it intermittently, and Iblis almost immediately threw himself at it. Shadow warped a good distance away, following up by raising his hand to the sky and casting a Chaos Spear at the monster's weak point.

"All right Shads!" I called, but I didn't think he heard me, considering that the monster was throwing a temper tantrum and sent Shadow into the air like it did to me. He did a few spirals in the air before getting his act together and teleporting next to me.

"This thing is annoying," Shadow grunted, staring intently at the lava.

"I know…but hey, it can't focus on both of us at once," I suggested, suddenly getting an idea. "It's almost just like fighting the Final Hazard!"

"One keeps it at bay, and the other goes in for the kill." He had started to agree with me, but his eyes suddenly flicked to the right and he panicked. "Ack, jump-!"

Iblis would've totally flattened us had we not moved, and I barely had the reaction to duck away from the slew of rocks the remains of the foothold created. Just as I pulled out of my defensive mode, it tossed back its head and screeched, causing more rocks to fall and break more of the footholds.

_Ugh, great…_

"Sonic, keep it occupied!" Shadow barked abruptly, darting around plumes of fire. "And get to the orb if you can! I'll do the same and see if I can't wear it down in the process!"

"Can do!" I chimed back, taking to the middle of the area. I then coughed and started break dancing, which could grab _anyone's_ attention. I must've been somewhat successful because it started throwing rocks at me, but with the momentum of my sweeping moves, I managed to deflect them with my well-timed kicks.

_And who said dancing couldn't be deadly?_

Apparently Shadow wasn't having much luck either, because I saw Rouge suddenly rise in the air with a disappointed look on her face.

"You guys are so doing it wrong. Come on, Foxy Boy; let's show them how it's done!"

She nodded toward Tails, who quickly twirled his namesakes and followed after her. "All right, only since they seem to be struggling-"

"We are _not_!" Shadow and I asserted, but even Knuckles was on their side when he maneuvered forward and forced his fists into the ground, causing even more rocks to fall from on high and make some new footholds for us.

"_Here's_ the plan," he asserted, taking charge. "Rouge and Tails will prevent that thing from destroying your way forward, while I ensure you a path. Then, you two hit those orb things and finish the job!"

"If I charge up my Chaos Spear long enough, I should be able to finish it in one hit," Shadow mused as he turned to me. "But in that case, I'll require some cover-"

"Consider yourself covered!" I gave him a thumbs up, before directing my attention at the others. "All right, guys! This is for the Chaos Emerald!"

"For the beautiful gem!" cried Rouge as she flew forward.

"For home and to save the future!" exclaimed Tails, sticking close by her.

"For my fragile sanity," grunted Knuckles, marching away with a grumpy look.

_Yeesh, don't forget those priorities there, Knux._

I traded a look with Shadow before we got moving too, everyone doing their part and taking action. As Iblis got ready for another attack on us, Tails and Rouge were quick to take it by storm first, raining a plethora of bombs down upon it, and it was so enveloped by the explosions that I think it nearly went insane.

"RAAAAWRGH!"

_Yeah, that thing was NOT happy._

With Shadow, we were working on staying behind Knuckles who was practically carving a path straight to the orbs for us, which sped up the process considerably. The only issue was that Rouge and Tails' attacks couldn't hold up forever, so Iblis eventually broke free of their onslaught and came barreling at us.

"Crud!" I gaped, somehow frozen to the spot as that huge lava worm squirmed its way into the air with the desire to crush us. Thankfully, Knuckles was fast to react, grabbing one of the footholds behind us, lifting it over his head, and chucking it into Iblis. Needless to say, it screeched and careened back into the lava, and I was impressed.

I breezed by Shadow who was far too busy gaping like a fish, letting out a cheer as I made my way to Knuckles and gave him a high five. "Knuckles, that was NICE!"

"Yeah, well, maybe now I'll be taken a little more seriously," Knuckles bragged to me, and I was too glad to be alive to even throw a snide comment his way. "Anyway, hurry up and hit those orbs! Who knows when it'll be back!"

"Right," Shadow and I agreed, heading over the orbs. I rushed over to the nearest one and homed in on it repeatedly, taking Shadow's method from before and making it as bright as possible.

"Come and get some, fire fiend!" I cried, sticking my tongue out towards wherever the monster happened to be lurking. I heard Shadow face palm and I gave him a look. "What? I'm running out of insults."

Tails, Rouge, and Knuckles suddenly started moving out of the way when Iblis leapt out of the lava and started diving toward the orb I lit up.

"Can't catch me!" I called, back flipping away just as the orb was busted to pieces. Its mandibles got stuck on the platform once more, putting its point of weakness out on display. Shadow cast his hand down with a grunt, and an electrically charged bolt of energy shot forward and drove right into the point, making Iblis recoil and fall backwards beneath the molten rock.

"Heh, what's wrong?" I derided, smirking. "Is that size just for show?"

I continued to make teasing gestures, but the silence was thick, and I could tell we were all still on edge. Rouge hovered down to the edge of the platform, trying to spot the creature in the lava.

"Did you guys…get it?" she questioned quietly, but I wasn't even entirely sure.

"It's certainly not as tough as it looks," Shadow susurrated.

"Especially if Knuckles could knock it out like that!" Tails laughed, with Knuckles looking proud of himself afterwards. However, I felt my quills bristle, and I swore quietly under my breath, turning back to the lava myself. Where it had once been perfectly still, it was rippling slightly, becoming more and more violent with every passing second.

"It's not dead…!" I trailed slowly, getting louder with each syllable.

All heads whisked down to face the lava, but it didn't last long since Knuckles, Rouge, and Tails instantly started flying away from the immediate threat, and Shadow and I were quick to hurry after them on foot.

_I'm NEVER cut any slack…!_

"I hate monsters that never know when to quit," growled Knuckles, breaking to a stop and raising his fists at it.

"Regardless, it can't last much longer…" Shadow began, keeping an intent eye on the creature. "…though I doubt it'll fall for the same trick again."

_Then I guess it was time for the big guns!_

My gaze shifted over to Shadow and I broke out into a grin. "Well,_ I_ may have a pretty _awesome_ suggestion-"

"Fine," Shadow agreed tersely, and I threw my fist into the air excitedly

"YES! Here we go!" I jumped to the center of our group and began giving demands. "Knuckles! I need you to form a circle of platforms around the monster! Can you do that?"

"Does it have to be a circle? I can do you one better and make a dodecahedron-"

"No, circle! _Circle_!" I insisted, directing my attention at Tails and Rouge now. "You two! Throw bombs at that thing and keep it in one spot so Knuckles can work his way around it, m'kay?"

"Roger!" they both cried, taking off. I then turned to Shadow and beamed at him.

"Ready to rock and roll, Shadow?"

He tossed his head back and groaned. "If it'll make you happy."

The furious monster was no match for the super power of teamwork, with Tails and Rouge working in perfect sync to make their way around Iblis' projectile attacks. Standing their ground against the vigorous assault, they produced their bombs and let out a valiant shout as they returned fire to the creature. On opposite sides of the fiend, it had nowhere to go, giving Knuckles plenty of time to do his part.

And dude, Knuckles was _awesome_, hitting the ground in a specific rhythm. I watched with glee as my idea came to life, the circle of platforms slowly becoming a reality. He worked like a machine, making precise movements and decisions and there wasn't a single thing I could fault him for.

_Except maybe his speed._

"Come on Knuckles!" Tails had shouted from the air, sounding impatient.

"The kid's right, Knuckie! We can't go on like this forever!" Rouge threw in too, as Knuckles sneered and threw both his fists into the ground.

"I'd like to see one of _you_ have the ability to punch the ground with enough force to knock down even one stalactite at a time!"

"You're all doing fine!" I assured, stretched and preparing for the big moment. "Just a little more…!"

Knuckles released a hearty roar into the air as he created one final platform, finishing the ring and capturing the monster in the middle. With a relieved sigh, Rouge and Tails took their exit, and I threw a nod in Shadow's direction.

"Let's do it to it, Shadow!"

I started off running the circle, and when a blue funnel slowly began to take shape, Shadow joined in too, making it bigger, darker, and much more threatening. Eventually even we faded away into the expansive blur of the whirlwind, but the best was still yet to come. Our little hurricane was so strong and forceful that it quite literally pulled Iblis straight out of the lava, cawing against its will as it struggled in our combined wind.

"It's dazed from the impact!" Tails cried. "Now's their chance!"

"Now you guys! Now!" chimed Knuckles and Rouge.

The static in the air was crazy, but also expected, considering the sheer amount of force and power we'd built up the last time we performed this maneuver. Our enemies were obliterated in a combination of electricity and the strikes from our quills, and it was so cool that I named it.

_Atomic Strike!_

I was totally dreaming up how cool it would look when Shadow had barked out my name, giving me a fierce gaze that I knew didn't hold anything good behind it.

"If we do this wrong, we're going to get tossed into the lava!"

I fell soundless as my mind wrapped around what he proposed. Last time, even though the move was successful for crying out loud, we'd still been tossed out of the funnel very forcefully, with me nearly getting impaled on a rock and Shadow almost falling into a pool of alien goo-

_I DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE KICKBACK…!_

With the look Shadow was giving me, he'd been aware of this fact far before me, but we had already gone this far, and there was a slim chance that everything would be fine…

_I was just going to have to take that chance. _

I braced myself and stared forward, feeling my fist clench somewhat nervously. "Well…no going back now."

I could_ feel _how ticked Shadow was, but we gave each other firm nods before launching ourselves toward our enemy. We worked ourselves into separated orbits, making what looked like an atom, cycling around Iblis as it snarled at us. Spinning it around to get the weak point in prime position to attack, we traded one final glance before plowing into it simultaneously, and with the way it howled, I knew it was done for.

"They did it! They DID it!" Rouge exclaimed disbelievingly.

Just as I feared though, the whirlwind lost its stability, and with the expulsion of power we'd been building up, the two of us and Iblis went flying in three separate directions. It hacked up the Chaos Emerald before plummeting back into the lava, and suddenly, my life mattered not- I needed to get that Chaos Emerald.

Shadow was too far from it, and not in an optimal position to catch it either. It was currently below me, so I braced myself and tucked my arms by my side, reducing the drag and letting myself fall just a little faster.

_Come on…!_

My fingers splayed out as I desperately reached for the shimmering cyan gem, being so close I could just barely brush it with my fingertips, but it wasn't enough. I refused to give up, pushing myself just that much farther and reaching out with my other hand. I manage to tip it a little closer to me, allowing me to pull it into my grasp and into my possession.

"Ha ha!" I exclaimed, except now I was too low to throw myself to a platform. "…Noooooo-!"

I suddenly stopped in midair, nearly dropping the emerald with the abrupt impact, and just as I registered what had happened, I found Tails had hooked his hands under my arms and winked at me, and once again I found myself in his debt. Knuckles flew in a few moments later to help lessen Tails' burden.

"You really need to quit falling everywhere when you know you can't fly," he remarked, and I just relaxed in their grasp.

"Thanks guys…" I murmured, suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. I did manage to roll my head to face Shadow, who was in Rouge's care and looking painstakingly freaked out about something. I smirked and showed him the Chaos Emerald, and relief washed over his face. "…no problem!"

Once we were all back on the ground with our lives intact, Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge were suddenly huddled up and drowning in reprieve. They were whooping and hollering, and I couldn't help but get caught up in it too.

_The feeling was contagious! _

"We did it! We did it!" Rouge giggled, smothering Tails and Knuckles in a combined hug of excitement. "We can go home now!"

"We can get out of this future!" added Knuckles, pumping a fist.

"And we can hopefully set things right too!" agreed Tails.

_At least their priorities were straight now!_

More than ready to head back myself, I waltzed up with the emerald spinning around on my finger, flashing a grin at the trio of celebrators.

"Okay, calm down…!" I laughed, knowing I was swept in it too. "I know this is the moment we've all been waiting for, but we need to get a grip!"

They just grinned deviously at me before pulling me in too, and suddenly we were spinning in an overly excited circle. I guess I never realized just how homesick we all were after spending no more than a day in such a cruddy future-!

"…Sonic," Shadow cut in, and our little party went south in that moment alone. I tried to spread the joy to him too, but he was so gravely seriously that not even I could maintain a perfect grin. "If we're going to do this, I need to know the extent of your expertise with this."

I removed myself from the ground and made my way over to Shadow, feeling incredibly apprehensive. I looked to the emerald for a little assurance. "…okay."

"Now tell me," he began, putting his fingers to his head. "What _exactly_ happened when you initiated Chaos Control the first time- what you were doing, how you were standing, and especially what was going on through your head."

_Frick._

I'd only initiated it twice, once to get to the Lava Shelter and that first time, which was a freak accident. Admittedly, I've tried doing it again, but I've always been so apprehensive that I'd do something wrong that I never went all the way through with it. Shadow's fears weren't unfounded either- I knew I was the only hope in getting my friends and myself back to our proper timeline, but if I was unable to, then we were doomed.

And that first time! I may have been extra hyperaware at the time, but everything was happening so fast and my life was at stake and even attempting a Chaos Control was quite literally my last chance at survival, and I really hadn't anticipated that it'd work.

_So…I really didn't know what to tell Shadow._

"I…don't remember all that clearly-"

"WHAT?!"

_He took it a lot less well than I'd hoped._

"Okay, wait, WAIT!" I stuttered, putting my hands up defensively. "I don't remember the stance or what I was doing, or anything like that, but you have to remember that I also had a fake Chaos Emerald at the time-"

"Yes, I _do_ remember that, and if that's true AND you can cause a Chaos Control, then using a real Chaos Emerald could potentially increase your ability tenfold if used improperly," he elaborated, and I winced a little. "…all I'm saying is that if someone inexperienced attempts this-"

"I'm _not_ inexperienced!" I exclaimed, feeling betrayed by the accusation. Suddenly everyone was staring at me for my outburst, and I felt ridiculously uncomfortable. There was a lot of pressure resting on me, and usually I'd just shrug it off, but with so many of my friends' lives at stake, I really didn't want to be the one to screw it up. Again. "…I'm just nervous."

"I'm not mad or anything, Sonic," Shadow stated evenly enough. "I believe you can do it; I just want to ensure that it's done correctly. We could either end up back in the wrong time or stay stuck in this time, just in a different area."

"And we REALLY don't want to see more of this place," Knuckles threw in obstinately, and I was secretly thankful that Rouge reprimanded him for it. Shadow ignored the display and turned back to me.

"That's why your thought process at the time you used Chaos Control is so important, because that mind set is what'll allow you to tap into the ability," he continued. "It's just like going Super- your thoughts are turned into power, but through just one emerald, and you're also combining that power with mine."

_Yeah…I'll just…do that…_

I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "…no problem!"

"Um, not to interrupt, but maybe Knuckles can help," Tails suggested, motioning to Knuckles. He was currently busy leering at Rouge, so Tails snapped his fingers and broke the two out of their trance. "…anyway, I'd offer a few points, but I've only been in contact with and absorbed the energy- I've never actually_ used_ it, nor do I think I can."

"But while I can use a few abilities and absorb the energy, it's nowhere near to the extent of you two," Knuckles pointed out. "So…I can't really help either."

Rouge simply gave a shrug. "I just like the sheen and color of the Chaos Emeralds."

_We're screwed._

"Well, if you really gotta know, I was totally near death at the time and trying not to completely wig out," I finally explained, scratching my ear absentmindedly. I really didn't want to talk about this… "…but really, I was thinking more about my friends on the ARK at the time, cuz I was really worried about how they were doing after witnessing…that."

"Sonic…" Tails frowned, as if he hadn't realized something until now. I threw him a small grin, both to reassure him and myself.

"I wanted to be with them more than anything at that moment right there and then…and the next thing I knew, I had landed next to Knuckles, and I told him to go see how Tails and Amy were doing while I, uh, went to stop you…?"

_Awkward. _

"Well, that does paint a better picture," Shadow said at last, closing his eyes thoughtfully. "I'm going to assume that you ended up by Knuckles instead of Tails and Amy because of the fact it was a fake emerald rather than your inexperience."

I blinked and glanced around. "That's…a good thing, right?"

"Yes," he grumbled, sounding annoyed. "Now, what I want you to do is not only imagine where you want to go, but also when. You have to focus on that thought and that thought alone in order to turn it into power. I know you can do that much knowing how many times you've gone Super…"

I nodded, knowing exactly where I wanted to go. "I want nothing more to go to the morning of the day that Elise was supposed to die and stop that, and this future, from happening."

"Okay," he finalized, holding out his hand. When nothing happened, we all sort of stared awkwardly...until Rouge finally grumbled and passed off the green emerald to Shadow. While that was happening, I found myself staring into my own emerald. I was still nervous about ripping a hole into space-time, but now wasn't the time to begin doubt myself.

_It was never time for that._

Shadow eventually coaxed me out of my thoughts with his ruby gaze. "…are you ready?"

…_was I? Was I really ready to do something so risky and dangerous?_

…_and then I realized that I _had_ to be._

Finally, I mustered up enough moxie to match his gaze and nod. "Ready any time."

Rouge was clasping her hands together and watching intently as Shadow and I raised the emeralds, crossing our wrists with the emerald millimeters apart. I did just as Shadow asked and focus on opening a way to the Day of Disaster…the day that Elise was destined to die.

_And I needed to stop that from happening, more than anything. _

"Chaos…" we chanted simultaneously, raising our wrists even higher. "…CONTROL!"

We stood solid as small bursts of power expelled from the emeralds, standing our ground while the likes of Tails and Knuckles found themselves shielding each other from the brightness. I really didn't know what I was supposed to expect, but I kept my mind steeled on the thought of the Day of Disaster, and let it stray for nothing.

My emerald was pulsing in rhythm with my heart beat, pumping the energy through my arm and feeling it flow through my whole body. It was calming, telling me to remain relaxed, and the next thing I knew, my thoughts had fused with Shadow's demonstrating that for once, we were on the same wavelength…

And this swooping _boom _rang out and a big purple hole tore into existence above our head.

_I gave it a ten for presentation. _

The very moment that the portal was stable, all my thoughts changed to Elise, and saving her life became my new number one priority. There wasn't a moment to lose- I was the first to careen into the portal, with the princess of Soleanna at the forefront of my mind. I heard Tails and Knuckles' footsteps behind me, so I knew they followed…

_There was just no guarantee as to where they were following me to._

* * *

**Good gosh, how many games and/or adaptions can I reference in one chapter? Sheesh. :P**

**You know, if the group had teleported to the day BEFORE the Day of Disaster, they could've: A) stopped the Scepter of Darkness from breaking thus avoiding Mephiles' escape, and B) prevented Elise from being taken to White Acropolis! ...but that would've resulted in two of each of them, so _maybe_ not.**


	11. Memories of Radical Rescues

**Katz4**: It's just weird seeing Sonic _openly_ nervous, I think. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for that review on Because We're Sonic Heroes too!

**SonicSonic54321**: Thank you! :) And let's see...last chapter's references were to Adventure 2, Heroes, Shadow, a _little_ Adventure, and Sonic Chronicles (the Atomic Strike). But at the same time, I've been dropping allusions to Unleashed all throughout, so I'mma count that too. xD

**SplatKirby**: Nice to see someone agree!

**WintersEgde7**: Thanks! I like my Shadow with a subtle and twisted sense of humor. xD

**werewolf99 and Guest**: Thank you both kindly! ^^

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 10: Memories of Radical Rescues

When we emerged out of the space-time rift, I once again landed rather stylishly, while Tails and Knuckles could've used a little more finesse.

_I was really enjoying NOT landing on my face. _

As Tails verbally expressed his discomfort, I scanned the area, and sure enough, the world was no longer bathed in flames, the sky was blue, the air was clean, and the impending sense of danger wasn't constantly hanging around in the back of my mind.

"Looks like we made it back in one piece," Knuckles stated, traces of relief evident in his voice.

_And while we were certainly back in Soleanna City, who was to say we ended up on the proper day?_

"Um, where did Shadow and Rouge go?" Tails squeaked, looking around frantically. "Did they appear someplace else?"

"They must've," Knuckles shrugged. "I know for a fact that Rouge entered the portal after we did."

"Eh, those two can take care of themselves," I assured, still itching to see when we were and where I needed to go. I paced around with feverish impatience, until I caught sight of a crumpled and discarded newspaper lying on the ground. Hopeful, I darted over to the paper and snatched it off the ground, looking for a date and any other important information I may have needed.

Knuckles and Tails peered over my shoulders to get a good look at the "Daily Soleanna" themselves. The front page story was an article of how the festival was attacked, and there was even an article about a mystery hedgehog –it was me, and someone got a pretty snazzy shot- yet there wasn't much on the status of the princess.

_But at least I knew we were in the right day._

"Ugh, now we have to go talk to the people," I grumbled, furiously crumpling up the paper and tossing it over my shoulder. "It'd be useless to go back to White Acropolis; either we'd just get zapped again or Elise and Eggman aren't even there anymore."

"And remember- Elise died aboard one of Eggman's carriers," pointed out Tails. "So, if anything, about now…they would be headed for the carrier as we speak!"

"But wouldn't the docking station be at his base?" Knuckles wondered, scratching his head. "I mean, that'd make the most sense."

"We searched that base top to bottom, and there was no hangar of such a scale," I reminded him. "Besides, we would've seen it. It was a pretty straight forward base too- no secrets passages or anything, especially not when he wanted Elise guarded at all times."

Knuckles grumbled at the shooting down of his ideas, yet while we now had a more ideal picture of Eggman and Elise's whereabouts…we still didn't know where that would be.

"Hey, let me see that paper again," Knuckles stated, picking it up off the ground again. After fiddling to smooth it out, he flipped to one of the back pages and skimmed it for a while. I folded my arms and tapped my foot.

"Take your time, Knuckles; lives aren't in danger or anything," I grunted, walking over to a nearby store to buy a new gem for my shoes. "I'll just do a little shopping in this time of crisis…"

He gave me a sneer, shoving the paper at my face when I returned.

"Well, if you would be still every once in a while, you'd see that there's a train scheduled to head out of the city at this moment," he explained. I folded my arms and swatted the paper away.

"So what?!"

Tails snatched the paper himself and immediately blanched. "Sonic, the train in this photo has Eggman's insignia on it!"

…_oops._

"…well, let's go!" I exclaimed, already darting off. Knuckles made a face and grabbed my wrist keeping me in place as Tails continued to elaborate.

"Because of Eggman's suspicious actions and the fact that the princess is still MIA, there's a police roadblock around the train station- no one's allowed in or out!"

"That's ridiculous!" I cried, taking the paper and crumpling it again. "Chaos forbid they try to save Elise themselves, instead preventing anyone else from doing so…!"

"The surface world customs still astound me," commented Knuckles.

"That's not a custom; it's asinine!" I punched my fist into my palm and flashed my fangs. "Well, I refuse to let them stand in my way this time…!"

"Yeah, and going blindly into that will more than likely get you arrested," Knuckles stated sternly, gripping my shoulders and making me look at him. "I know planning isn't exactly your forte, but I think this situation calls for it-"

"Well I think this situation calls for speed, and I have to hurry!"

"Yeah, and how far is just running going to get you?!" Knuckles barked. "Are you just going to break through the police barricade and hope for the best?!"

"…if I have to," I stated quietly. Knuckles growled and tossed his arms up while Tails buried his face in his hands. I watched them carefully, wondering what they could've been missing from my explanation…and then, what I could've been missing from theirs. They had to understand how badly I needed to get to Elise, didn't they?

Eventually, Knuckles leaned over and whispered something to Tails, which already rose several red flags, and even Tails was looking a little hesitant, but he appeared to agree with whatever they were discussing. I impatiently tapped my foot, but Tails suddenly beckoned me to move, so I acquiesced instantly and started running.

"Where are we doing?" I asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

"To the train station, duh," Tails replied. I looked to my right and studied him carefully, then turned to Knuckles.

"What'd you tell him?"

"To let you go the station," he stated simply, and for as calm as an answer as that was, I didn't like it all that much. They were plotting something behind my back now, and it made me more anxious than suspicious.

We tore through the streets of Soleanna like madmen, causing a disturbance in the otherwise peaceful town. I know they were just civilians, but come on- their princess was gone, and no one was lifting a finger to do anything about it!

_And yet, it was something I had seen far too many times…_

As we approached the train station, sure enough, a throng of policemen barricaded the entrance, hardly even letting the average citizen walk by- I doubted that they'd take kindly to three Mobians strolling in their line of sight. Still, Tails and Knuckles were determinedly forcing on, giving me no reason to slow down either.

_I just wish I knew what they were up to._

"Sonic," Knuckles said seriously, and suddenly my ears perked up. "As soon as you see an opening, I want you jump toward the entrance and book it down the tracks."

"You're the only fast enough out of the three of us to catch up with the train," Tails added in a similar tone. "If anyone can get to Elise and rescue her before she's loaded onto the carrier, it's you."

"…you two are choosing your words awfully carefully," I realized, now suspicious. "What exactly are you two going to do?"

Both of them were rather quiet, but I was bound to find out eventually when we approached the barricade. All of the men saw us coming instantly, but before they could draw out any weapons of any sort, Knuckles leapt to the front and plowed his fist on the ground in front of us. I braked to a stop as the pavement cracked and crumbled, the following shockwave discombobulating the men instantly.

_I take it _that_ was my opening._

Asking no questions, I leapt over all of the men, landing my hand on one of their heads and using it to propel me forward. I had almost made it to the entrance until one of them grabbed my foot, but Tails moved into action, clocking him on the head with a wrench he pulled from nowhere, looking guilty but smiling at me.

"Go get her, Sonic!" he called to me. I made it to the entrance, but I skid to a stop and turned around.

The men (except the one had had been hit with a wrench) had all recovered, now swatting at Tails and Knuckles with their sticks. Surrounded, Tails jumped behind Knuckles as Knuckles began punching all their defenses, leaving them vulnerable but refusing to move.

"Get the blue one!" one of them cried. Two of the men came sprinting at me, but I didn't want to leave my friends-

"Hurry up and go, Sonic!" Knuckles yelled, falling off his guard just long enough to have his hands handcuffed behind his back. He was forcefully shoved to the ground as Tails tried to call to me, with men pulling him away as well.

"You have to save Elise! You have to save the future!" he shouted, writhing in the grip of a particularly strong-looking man. "Go on without us!"

Finally, Tails too was captured, handcuffing him to Knuckles' cuffs so that neither of them could move very far. They were left in the middle of the street as the rest of the cops came after me, and there was no way I was going to let them get me. As much as I hated to admit, they were right- Elise could NOT die today…and I didn't want Tails and Knuckles' sacrifice to be for nothing.

"I'll come back for you! I promise!" I exclaimed, starting to jog backward.

"We're not dying, Sonic," Knuckles shouted, though a bit of a smirk played on his face. "Just going to jail. Don't worry about us."

"Just help out Elise for us, okay? We'll be fine!" Tails asked, and I forced myself to nod before bouncing through the station and taking off down the train tracks. The scrambling men were left to fly away in my wake, and I was left to hunt down Elise alone…

_At this point, I couldn't let _anyone_ down. _

. . .

"EGGMAAAAAAAN!"

My voice barely carried over the sound of all the trains crisscrossing about on the railways; trains of all different sorts and colors were all over the place, and I had to ask…WHY today of all days was it so busy!?

_If only people were up for running everywhere._

I managed to run alongside the rails of one of the trains, eventually catching up to one, jumping up, and grabbing a bar. From there, I swung myself to the top and got a better vantage point, and even while standing still, I could feel the rush of the train all around me.

"I'm coming for Elise!" I shouted again, making it clear whether I was heard or not. I contemplated my next move for a moment when Eggman's voice rang out to match mine.

"Oh, Sonic, I should've known you'd worm your way out of your little time snag," he grimaced, and I scowled upon hearing the way he said my name. "…regardless, shouldn't you save the train before chasing after me? Especially if your treasured princess is aboard…"

"What do you mean…?" I gritted through my teeth, grabbing the edge of the train and flipping myself down to see the window. Sure enough, there were some passengers in there, but all of them seemed content and had no reason to panic –except for maybe the fact that there was a blue hedgehog peeping through the windows- so what the heck was Eggman trying to pull here?

When I flipped myself back up to the top of the train, I looked towards the front, and saw something in the distance on the track. After scrutinizing it, I instantly blanched.

"A BOMB, Eggman?!" I stammered, careening off the side of the train and starting to run myself. "Are you insane?!"

"Anything to give me a head start on you, pincushion," he derided me from wherever he happened to be, and I puffed out my cheeks.

_Yep, definitely off the deep end, if he wasn't already. _

"I've got to get ahead and help the train!"

Crates went flying outwards as I thundered along the side of the track, eventually getting in front of it and making my way to where the bomb was set up. I found it ridiculous that Eggman had found the time to rig up explosives on the very track he aimed to use, putting innocent people in danger just to hinder me.

"That's so low!" I exclaimed, homing attacking a few robots in a row before carrying on. "All this just to get at Elise…!"

By now, the people were finally aware that danger was ahead, 'cause I could heard the pure screams of terror emitting out of the train, and I glanced back for a moment to see that a few had opened the windows to stick their heads out.

"Sonic! Help!" they chanted, some of them frantically waving their arms. I acknowledged them with a salute and picked up my speed, my footfalls becoming one continuous sound until I reached the area where the bomb was situated. Wires crisscrossed everywhere and robots were around to guard their work, and it then occurred to me that I didn't know the first thing about disarming a bomb.

_I could really use Tails right now…!_

That twinge of reminder about Tails and Knuckles fate' distracted me a bit, but after finally agreeing that there was no way for me to disable the bomb in good conscience, I figured I had to blow it up before the train arrived.

"There's gotta be some sort of detonation switch…" I trailed, giving the area a once over before something whacked me over the head and sent me cascading into a wall. I was stunned for a moment before returning to my feet and readying my fists. Nothing more than Egg Shooters and small drones around, but with them here I couldn't focus…

"I'll play with you some other time!"

I ran around in a rapid circle, encasing them all in a wall of wind. When they were nice and trapped, I leapt out of the breeze and clapped my hands.

"Sonic Wind!"

Explosions erupted instantly, but I didn't have the time to admire it. I bounded over to the detonation switch and slammed my fist on it, watching as the bombs Eggman planted went off prematurely. Fortunately the track was still relatively intact, so when the train came by at last, it made it across safely.

"Hooray for Sonic!" the passengers chimed, with me subtly blushing from all the attention and praise.

"Just your friendly neighborhood supersonic hedgehog!"

"There's more where THAT came from, Sonic!" Eggman cackled, and I felt my pupils shrink.

"Narg, there's more?!"

_Figured it was too easy…_

I thought the passengers would begin to panic again, considering their lives were still in danger, but they instead chose to rally me on, chanting my name into the wind with the conviction and faith that I would save them. That alone made me smile, and only served to increase my drive against Eggman.

"Go Sonic!" they shouted again as I dashed across some huge and perilous scale. I could only assume they were used for moving cargo, but right now they were serving as a very nice shortcut for me! In fact, I figured the run up to the next bomb would be pretty smooth…until I came to a conveyor belt.

"Aw man, I hate things like this…" I grunted, cautiously stepping on one that was going the same direction I was. I went flinging forward instantly, but in the same moment, the direction reversed, and I tripped forward as the belt started to send me over the edge.

"Nooo!"

I grabbed onto a part of the belt that wasn't moving to wedge myself there, waited until the direction changed back, then careened forward to make up for lost time. I unintentionally plowed into a few robots upon my return to the ground, but I just drifted around a corner and rocketed off again, searching desperately for the train and the next bomb switch. The train wasn't too far away from me…but then again, the bombs weren't too far away from the train.

_I was cutting it close…!_

More conveyor belts stood in my path, but so did a throng of robots. I used my homing attack to gradually make my way across, bypassing the belts and making excellent time as well. I practically glided over another set of scales, not even pacing myself as I landed in an abandoned and very out of shape building. Little robots were scattered everywhere, so I knew there had to be a switch somewhere, and I could see the train getting closer…

"Get out of my way!" I yelled at the little drones, kicking them in all directions on my quest for the switch. When I finally found it, I swung my foot at it, hearing it click and the bombs detonate afterward. With the uproarious shout that occurred afterward, I knew I had been successful.

"Whew, just made it!"

I then got moving again, knowing that Eggman probably had more up his sleeve, and I wasn't going to be caught off guard by anything again. The train was currently going through a tunnel, but I made sure to keep with his route by using the springs scattered around, also keeping my eyes peeled for any bombs. With the path forward out in a few places, I was jumping gaps larger than I ever had in all my life, and the robots lingering around shooting at me weren't helping matters any either.

"Is that…another train coming?"

Sure enough, when I reached solid ground again, a yellow train was speeding by on the tracks, so, thinking myself clever, I hitched a ride on one of its cargo carts and smirked to myself.

"I sure know how to travel in style!"

From there, I then climbed onto the train engine itself, then leapt up to the air above it where I proceeded to grind on the cables.

"Yeah…!"

When the cable came to an end, I front flipped off the side and alighted gracefully, finding a much bigger drone waiting for me.

"Well, this is a much more pleasant surprise than those multiple mini ones," I commented. "It appears to be guarding the next switch for the bombs though."

I looked over my shoulder to see it fire a missile at me. I bent over backward and stuck my tongue out at it.

"_Just _missed me that time!"

From there, I backflipped and took to the ground, performing a breakdancing sweep kick to take its legs out from under it. I then curled into a ball and rolled around behind it, striking it in the back where it couldn't retaliate.

"Not so rough and tough now, are ya?"

It responded by trying to face its turrets at me, but I sliced them off with a well-timed spin dash then attacked its head. Upon its defeat, the lock around the detonation switch was released, and I gave it a whack, a small explosion going off in the distance. I worked my way up to higher ground so I could watch the train pass by safely, and all the passengers were as grateful as ever.

"Thank you, Sonic!"

I merely sat on my perch and waved at them, followed by springing off and running alongside them.

"All in a day's work! But, say…is Princess Elise on that train?"

The passengers were silent for a moment, taking the time to check and double check to make sure. Eventually they all came to the general consensus that no, she wasn't there. My face scrunched up in puzzled confusion- yes, I'd saved the passengers, but the one I was looking for wasn't there…?

"Ooooooh Sonic!"

_Eggman…_

"I believe your princess is on another train!" the doctor's heckling voice called out to me from below, and looking down, I saw the train car with his logo that had been pictured in the paper speeding away. Eggman's head was mocking me out of one of the windows, and I knew for a fact that there was no way Elise wouldn't be farther than a few feet out of his eyesight. But the mere fact he had duped me…!

"Sorry guys," I called to the passengers of the red train, careening over the edge and freefalling to the tracks below. "…but I've got a train to catch!"

_Nailed it._

The moment my feet connected with the ground again, I was off, the world becoming a smear of blue, green, and brown, and my sole focus on the train ahead. My path took me away from the train –though it had a slight lead on me anyway- but it'd be fine as long as I built enough speed.

Dirt billowed into the air with each and every step, and I swear I would give myself whiplash with how instantaneously I was sidestepping around oncoming rocks. Train whistles and horns were pounding in my ears, and at first I thought it was just Eggman messing with me…until I saw a train junction up ahead, with quite a few trains charging forward in the rails ahead.

"…ah, my lucky star, don't fail me now!"

Taking a gulp of fresh air just in case it was to be my last, I boosted forward with every ounce of power I had in my body to move at my top speed, blazing over the land so fast that I could hardly see where I was going. But even in my indulgent rush of speed, I could feel the energy of the trains charging by, me running over the tracks just before both of them nicked me. The sensation of just barely clearing that risky stunt made my heart jump, but it was gone with the wind as I stampeded over a ramp and took to the air.

I then started jumping off of stone structures to make my way to higher ground. The train's whistle started to whine, which was not good for my ears, but I kept up my breakneck pace with no signs of slowing down. More trains ran perpendicular to my path, but with one really good jump, I managed to clear them all and still made it out unscathed. This was followed by a stunt of me leaping off the side of the cliff, catching up with Elise's train ahead.

The area ahead was incredibly narrow, and it'd be just a touch TOO risky if I attempted to boost in this part. Still, from what I could see of the train, it didn't really look like it had much room for passengers…

"Is Elise really on board?"

The cart closest to me suddenly exploded, which did trip me up but I kept my momentum, sufficiently startled. Like, what in the world…?

"Eggman's detonating his own cargo on purpose?!" I exclaimed, unable to think of another reason as to why the carts were detonating. "He gets more sleazy and underhanded every day…"

With this knowledge in mind, I made sure to keep my distance from the carts as they detonated one by one, but Eggman had to run out eventually!

"I'm almost there! Hang on, Elise!"

When the last cart was destroyed, I made my move, using the wall of a tunnel as leverage to catapult myself to the top of the train engine, with the engine itself looking a little worse for wear on the outside. The window to the actual "captain's quarters" was shut, but the single passenger one wasn't, so I flipped myself in there and tried to move quietly. I didn't think Eggman was aware I was in there, especially since I could now hear some interesting voices on the other side of the door.

_I was curious, sure, but Elise's safety was utterly mandatory at this point. _

I called her name out softly, still not wanting to draw Eggman's attention, but eventually I came across a door that led to the latter half of the train. Feeling hopeful, I gave it a push, biting my lip and praying that she was on the other side.

**S-E**

_I'd been so close…_

I had made it all the way home this morning and was almost inside my castle without Sonic's help –yet granted, with Amy's- only to find that Eggman had still managed to follow me. For that fleeting moment I thought I'd been smart and tried to fight my way out of Eggman's clutches, but it turned out that he'd been five steps ahead of me the whole time.

_I hoped that Amy was untouched, at the very least._

So Eggman had grabbed me and loaded me up into his little vehicle, whisking me away to parts unknown. I was so upset that I hadn't been paying much attention to him, but I did hear him prattle on about "going somewhere your parents knew quite well" and "I have a gallant surprise for you" and things among things like that…and yet, for whatever reason, we had to take a train to get there, and I was simply amazed he had managed to finagle his way past the guards and the police force.

_I need better security in this country…_

…and that led me into my current position, stuffed into the passenger section of the engine to Eggman's train. He'd put my people in danger with traps for anyone who attempted to stop him, rigging train tracks to blow upon contact…and I couldn't for the life of me understand why he so desperately wanted to unleash disaster upon the world. Rule over time? It was so farfetched and ridiculous…

_And I knew that from my own personal, if somewhat fuzzy, experience._

So when the door to what may as well have been my prison creaked open, as it'd been locked from the inside, I figured it was just Eggman to either give me an update on the situation or chide me for my secret. I didn't even want to look up at him- I was tired of seeing his face and out of control mustache, so I turned myself away from the door and leaned my forehead on the wall.

"Well, that's certainly not the warm welcome I'd been expecting."

My heart jumped at the words- they certainly didn't belong to who I was expecting, but I recognized it all the same. As I cautiously turned to face the light that the open door poured into the once dark room, I found Sonic leaning in the doorway, his eyes shining as he gave me a two-finger salute.

I was about to scream out in happiness, but he pressed a finger to his lips as he motioned for me to come closer, and quietly. I did my best to prevent my heels from clicking against the metal floor, but soon enough I found myself back in Sonic's arms, with Sonic taking a look at the room and shaking his head.

"Heh, you're _so_ important to Eggman; you'd at least think he'd let you travel in something a little ritzier," he commented, and I failed at stifling a sarcastic giggle. "He's distracted by someone right now, but it won't be long before he realizes you're gone, so we're juicing now!"

I only nodded and tensed my grip around him. Knowing I was secured, he whisked out of the door and somehow maneuvered the both of us out of the moving train window. The feeling of doing something that risky…actually sort of felt good, and I realized that I wasn't as scared as I normally would've been.

_There was a time when I yelped when Sonic merely jumped over a river…!_

It was a ridiculously good feeling to be free again, and knowing that Sonic had beaten the odds and returned to his correct time was such an incredible relief that I couldn't help but beam happily and hold him tighter.

"I knew it…" I stated softy through my grin. "I knew you'd return! You HAD to!"

"Of course," he replied cheekily. "Time may fly, but I'm faster! If anything, that incident only proved to hinder Eggman rather than help him."

He then softened a bit as he made eye contact with me.

"You're all right, aren't you?"

I brushed a stray tuft of hair behind my ear. "Aside from many persistent attempts by a mad scientist to kidnap me, yeah, I'm better than I've ever been!"

_In perspective, it was almost a little sad knowing that was true. _

"I…did manage to escape once, with the help of someone," I explained, and Sonic's face morphed into a bemused expression. "We managed to get all the way to my castle, but then Eggman managed to tail me…and that's how I ended up on the train. I at least tried to buy you a little time."

He whistled and gifted me a nod of approval. "Nice! Not too shabby, if I say so myself!"

"You mean…you're not disappointed that I failed?"

"No way! I'm impressed that you _went_ for it! It takes a lot of spunk to attempt an escape like that, you know, especially since egghead likes to keep his guards plentiful."

"Well, like I said, I had a little help," I added abashedly. "I couldn't have taken those robots on by myself, and I admit that."

"Well then!" he hefted me higher in his grip as we began to go a little faster. "That person has my thanks, then! I would've been here sooner but, you know, time travel. Sticky stuff."

Sonic's face then fell as his quills sharpened defensively, and he suddenly jumped to his left out of nowhere. I had no idea what was going on, but when I saw a spark of neon green land on the ground where we once stood, I knew it was the work of only one person.

"…you again," Sonic sneered at Silver. Silver himself wasn't looking too hot, but while Sonic remained cool and collected under the pressure of his life at stake again, there was still a lingering sense of something not sitting right with the blue hero.

_I wonder if it had anything to do with his trip through time?_

"This time there will be no more interruptions!" Silver shouted, his psychic glow overtaking him and demonstrating that he was serious. "The Iblis Trigger…must die! And there are no alternate ways to go about it!"

Sonic stood his ground against Silver, having put me down in relative safety. He then stepped defensively in front of me, throwing me the quickest of winks before keeping his focus on Silver.

"Sonic…"

"HAH!" Silver made his move with another violent display of his power, which was sudden enough to make Sonic duck to the ground, though he successfully managed to avoid it. He was about to flip himself up off the ground, but Silver suddenly gained a killer look in his eyes, enveloping Sonic in that deathly green glow and pulling him within his reach.

Sonic twitched and writhed in his grip, fighting the force by increments but I didn't think it'd be enough. He was restrained and constricted, and for a guy like Sonic, that was close enough to death already. And after the lengths he'd gone to avoid the same possible fate for me, I knew I had to return the favor.

_I didn't have to be that useless princess who stood around for show. I…could make a difference!_

_If I've got the time to worry about him, then I can run!_

Seeing as I was in Silver's blind spot, it was the perfect opportunity to make a move. The memories of Sonic and I running in the field came to mind, but this time I was running with conviction rather than for pleasure. This time, I had something I needed to do!

Sonic, in the midst of his turmoil, managed to roll his gaze over to me and slowly reach his hand out in protest.

"Eh...Eh…li…"

Silver must've caught Sonic's attempt to say my name, because his gold eyes flitted in my direction. I narrowed mine and gave him a look of ferocity back, holding my hand out to him as I closed in on him.

"Stop this! Stop it; it isn't right!" I begged. It saddened me to see that he still thought the death of such a wonderful person could save the future, but if anything, that would only guarantee doom to it! For the few short days I've known him, I learned that Sonic would never give up on anybody- not his friends, not me, and not even Silver, if he would just give Sonic that chance…

My fingers just nearly brushed his shoulder when something latched around my waist, squeezing the fervor and resolve right out of me. The ground suddenly became farther away, and before I knew it, I was looking _down_ at Sonic and Silver.

_Nooooo! I was so close!_

When I heard the overly atrocious laugh ring in my ear, and the feeling of cold metal appendages around me, I felt so arbitrarily defeated, especially when Eggman decided to rub salt in my wounds.

"So, how was your little _walk_, princess?"

I knew it was pointless to try and battle my way out of the grip- it hadn't exactly worked the last few times. But now, just as my hope had been reinstalled by the return of Sonic, it was now squashed again, with me captured once more and Sonic once again staring down death itself.

"Naaaaaahhh!"

_And I was left not knowing if I'd see him again._

**E-S**

Either that girl has a tracking device on her somewhere, or I'm really slipping in my rescue quality, but I could easily blame these constant kidnappings on that deranged egghead Eggman, or Silver for constantly getting in my freaking way and trying to kill me!

_Doesn't he know that the real reason his time is so devastated is because Elise KEEPS GETTING KIDNAPPED?!_

He wouldn't even let me explain the truth to him because he was so disillusioned! I hardly had the time to _breathe _with how quickly and excessively he attacked. He was certainly more determined, if not stronger, in time I'd been gone…and he was making sure that I_ knew_ it.

_Made me wonder what else he went through._

I was trying to get one last glimpse of Elise and the direction Eggman was headed so I could track them down if –_when_- I got out of this, but Silver's hold on me suddenly increased and it felt like someone turned on the gravity on me! My knees caved and smacked the ground, nearly folding under the pressure.

"…it's time to end this," Silver commented with deadly graveness in his tone, and I tried to swallow my gulp. The intensity of the glow of his power increased dramatically, yet through that curtain of green, I saw something jump down, landing between Silver and I in a kneeling position, like he'd been waiting for this moment. I squinted through the haze, trying to get a good look at the intervener.

Silver clearly wasn't expecting it either, stumbling away as he lost his hold over me, just like when he was startled by Amy. "Who the-?!"

With the glow gone, I sprawled out on the ground desperately gulping air like I'd never get the chance to breathe it again, but once I was solid again, I turned to see my rescuer in a better light this time.

"Mephiles…?" Silver questioned, stung with disbelief. "Why are you getting in my way!?"

_No- it couldn't have been Mephiles; the fur was streaked red, not that nasty faded teal. But then…that meant it was…_

"I'm Shadow," the newcomer professed, and I realized my suspicions had been right. "…Shadow the Hedgehog."

He then turned to me and gave the quickest of nods; I returned a thumbs up and darted off, leaving him to deal with Silver. He said he wanted to talk to him? He could be my guest, no problem!

_I just knew that I had to prevent Elise from getting on the Egg Carrier! Her life and the future were resting on it!_

* * *

**Hooray for plot finagling! What's gonna happen to Tails and Knuckles?! D: ...well, that's for later! This week is a moment we've all been waiting for in Shadow and Silver's stories! *wink wink nudge nudge kick kick***


	12. Memories of Being Free

**Well, I can't lie...I really do adore this chapter. So much.**

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 11: Memories of Being Free

I'm so sick of this man. The nerve of him, marching into my country and demanding things of me, right after he threatened all my people and put them into grave danger! What would it take to reprieve him of his outlandish desires to manipulate time?! Even when he placed me at the top of his little vehicle, I absolutely refused to compromise with him. He kept reaching for me, but I turned away. He tried to spread and I obstinately refused to listen. Eggman grew wearisome of my adamant act, but I wasn't through putting it up.

"Now stop it," he demanded, holding his hand out to me after my latest display of defiance. "You have nowhere to go."

_Nowhere to go? Was I truly so deprived of options?_

He kept creeping closer to me, and I found myself stepping farther and farther out of the cockpit until I was at the tip of the aircraft, running out of room to back away.

"I would rather die than be your prisoner again," I told him acidly, remaining firm on my position. He clearly didn't believe me, dismissing the claim on the spot.

"Oh, Princess, stop trying to act so tough when you know you're beaten," the doctor scoffed, making me even more furious. "Don't you hear how irrational you're being?"

_How DARE he?!_

"Haven't you heard how irrational YOU'RE being, Eggman!?" I remarked, throwing my arms down to my sides. "You nearly burned down my city! You used a time machine to attempt to get rid of your enemies! You keep constantly kidnapping me to no avail! And you have the delusional idea that you can master time? Time isn't even a real, physical thing! Being a scientist, shouldn't you KNOW that?"

"Regardless, my time machine still worked, proving the merit of my research and my claims," he rebutted, twirling a finger through his mustache. "And surely you have no room to talk either. From what I heard, your father dabbled in the science of manipulating time as well, am I not correct?"

_How low was he willing to go…?_

"…yes, he did, and that's why I know all of this is wrong," I stated, clasping my hands together. "Time isn't meant to be tampered with; interfering is like trying to change the direction that a river flows, changing its course to that inevitable lake destination, or prevent it from ever getting there. Things just happen for a reason, and other things are GOING to happen, and we should just let that be."

"…let's look at this from your perspective." Eggman coolly adjusted his glasses. "I'm the big bad guy, who ends up changing the course of time to what YOU would call a bad future. If, by chance, someone went back in time to change _that_, would you still have that same opinion?"

I paused for a moment, not expecting such a psychological question. But truth be told, when the idea of time travel was first proposed to me, I was okay with that idea. It had been sugar coated, with the purpose of going back to rectify mistakes and drive the world to a more ideal state. Avoid wars, cure disease…it was all well and good until it failed, and that's why I so strongly advised against it.

_Because nothing like that should've happened._

"…I'd still be against it," I whispered quietly. "But, if they had good intentions, unlike you, then I could understand and _forgive_ them."

Eggman pondered my response silently, as if he was genuinely contemplating my position, but then he turned to face me with more fervor than before. I clenched my fist, bracing myself for what I planned to do next if he didn't see it my way.

"As touching as that is, I still intend to go through with my course of action," he declared, and my heart sank. "So, what are you going to do about it, princess? Do you plan to_ jump_?"

The doctor's statement was sarcastic, but after weighing my possibilities, it turned out that it was the only legitimate option that would get me away from this madman…and I also planned to stand by what I said.

"…yes." I stated haughtily, holding my head high as Eggman recoiled in surprise. "I thought I made it clear, Eggman- I'd rather die than be your prisoner."

The wind seemed to pick up in that moment, so I spread out my arms and let it take me as I tipped backwards off the machine.

"Farewell."

I closed my eyes as the feeling of falling swept over me. I may have been plummeting to my end, but I was away from Eggman, and he couldn't take me away any more…

_Whether I fly or fall…either way I am free._

By the time I had accepted what was to come, I heard a skidding sound, and I had landed on something, but I was fine. Opening my eyes to find Sonic grinning like a fool at me, beating out the odds once again, I couldn't help but cheer and hug him.

"Sonic!"

Eggman was really not happy about all of this- and neither was I, tired of playing some reversed version of Hot Potato with him and Sonic- but I was right where I needed to be, and _wanted_ to be, and Eggman couldn't do a thing about it!

"You won't get away that easily!" he thundered, rushing off to his dash panel on his machine.

"Hmph, you've said that before Eggman, and your credibility just isn't what it used to be," Sonic huffed, shaking his head. "Just do us all a favor and say something like, 'Sonic! Mop the floor with me like you always do!' and THEN maybe we'll believe you!"

"We'll see how smug your smile will be when my reinvigorated robot wipes it right off your face!" Eggman affirmed, dramatically pressing a button on his dash panel. Sonic cautiously dropped me behind a rock as a marigold robot suddenly hovered over the horizon, now floating in the valley just above us. Eggman looked giddy as he pressed a button on another remote.

"The Egg Genesis is just a little something I brought from back home- hopefully it'll bring back memories of me pummeling your sorry blue hide!"

"Um, I don't think it will, considering you pummeling me has_ never_ happened," Sonic countered, making me snicker. "Now if we're talking vice versa, then sure! I remember all those beatings _clearly_!"

Sonic even started counting off various robot names on his fingers, completely ignoring the fact that Egg Genesis was in the middle of assembling itself, with Eggman placing himself into the cockpit with a discontent sneer.

"Big Arm, Death Egg Robot, Egg Viper, Egg Golem, Egg Albatross, Egg Hawk, Egg Emperor, Mecha Sonic, Metal Sonic, Silver Sonic, that Egg Dealer, that Egg Breaker, and those latter two weren't even against ME. Not to mention that freaking Egg Cerberus-"

"Nargh!"

_Wow, that man…was dangerously obsessed with eggs. And Sonic._

A horde of missiles flew out of the launchers from the Egg Genesis, which Sonic danced around without even putting in too much effort.

"You think that can intimidate me just with its size? Come on, let's see what it can REALLY do!" he beckoned, bouncing around with bravado and raising his fists. "Come at me with your best shot! Bring it on!"

As I observed him from behind my rock I couldn't help but sweat a little. "He's almost a tad TOO confident there…or he just _really_ wants to give Eggman of piece of his mind."

_Nobody's perfect, I suppose._

The Egg Genesis whirled around a few times, firing lasers from some of the turrets on the underside of the robot. Sonic was way too far out of range of them to even worry about getting hit, but he kept circling the area to get a good look at the Genesis, trying to find some method of attack or a point to strike at. From what I could see, those missile launchers needed to be put out of commission, pronto.

"Aw, your big bad robot isn't enough to take me on?" Sonic taunted as the Egg Genesis sent out some Egg Shooters as reinforcements.

"Even you can only be in one place at once, Sonic!" Eggman called back.

"I'm the fastest thing alive- who says that I can't?!"

He then bounced into the air, curled into a ball, and threw himself at the robots, gradually making his way up to the Egg Genesis itself. Sonic alighted on the top of one of the missile launchers with a sarcastic ballerina pose, then proceeded to run up the side of it.

"Why you little…Upper cannons open fire! Shoot him down!"

I winced as explosions went off everywhere, but Sonic remained steadfast as ever, believing in his speed enough to emerge out of the onslaught unscathed. From there, he then jumped onto the head of the Egg Genesis and proceeded to bash and batter it with a series of homing attacks, Eggman wailing in protest from the inside. Sonic managed to get in a few good hits before the robot spun itself around, flinging Sonic off and readying another barrage of missiles.

"Catch me if you can!" Sonic called, waving at the Genesis as he whisked his way around it again, the missiles practically licking his heels but detonating before they could reach him. He almost looked like he was having fun as he danced with danger; he was aware of the threat in front of him, but letting it make him grave and serious just wasn't his style. Maybe making light of things was how he dealt with the stress of them?

_I certainly wished I had that kind of mindset._

"I won't be able to do anything until you're out of my way!" Eggman boomed, twirling the Egg Genesis once again. Lasers went flying in all directions, and as Sonic outran them with finesse, I noticed that the Egg Genesis was now down to only three missile launchers, rather than the four it began with. I didn't know if Sonic had realized or not, but as long as he was aware he was doing damage, I supposed it was fine.

"More robots for me to play with? Okay!" Sonic happily jumped up a stack of crates before pushing off, crashing down onto a string of robots until he was on the Genesis itself again. "Get a load of _this_, Eggman!"

Again he directly attacked the Egg Genesis' source of power, and even from where I was I could see the dents forming. Eggman released a rather strained growl as the Egg Genesis spun around again, a second missile launcher detaching from the body and busting into pieces. Missiles from the remaining ones took to the air as Sonic careened himself back onto the ground, performing a perfect ten flip and sticking his landing.

"All right! You're going down!" he whooped, showing not even the slightest signs of fatigue or deterrence. Eggman, meanwhile, was slowly getting to the end of his rope.

_Served him right, too._

"You may have gotten a few hits in, but this is where the real fun begins!" The bottom of the Egg Genesis began glowing a blistering orange, which made me increasingly uncomfortable. "Begin charging core laser! Take this, Sonic!"

I saw an equally orange glow around Sonic, and I knew the laser must've been targeting him. I had started to put my hand out and told at him to look out, but he suddenly rolled forward, allowing the laser shot to pass harmlessly over his head. I retracted my hand, smiling slightly.

_He knew what he was doing._

"So much for that incredibly threatening laser," Sonic scoffed, halting to make a face in the doctor's direction. "Can't even hit a simple little hedgehog."

"If you want me to hit you, I'll be more than happy to have my drones do that for me!"

"I'm _pretty_ sure that's some form of animal cruelty."

I covered my mouth to giggle as Eggman shouted incoherent retorts at Sonic, opening the hatches on the Egg Genesis and releasing another throng of drones to attack. Sonic simply stood where he was and let them come to him, only moving when they were close enough to attack. He once again took advantage of the positioning of the robots, working his way onto the third missile launcher quickly.

"I'm through playing around!" Eggman exclaimed, and just before Sonic went to attack the power source, a ton of missiles came up from behind him. Sonic only had a moment's notice to catch sight of them before he turned heel and careened off the side. I cringed and started to look away, but Sonic redeemed himself by grabbing onto the edge of the Egg Genesis and swinging himself down to the underside. The missiles lost track of him as he used the laser turrets to work his way across, then swinging himself back onto the top like an acrobat. With a slight twirl, Sonic threw himself at the power source once more, laughing all the while.

"It'll take a bit more than that to get rid of me!"

"You don't think I know that?! I threw you through TIME and yet you still managed to rear your ugly mug back in my way!"

Sonic ceased his attack as the Egg Genesis shook, with only one missile launcher still intact. It landed with a conclusive boom, with me ducking behind the rock as shrapnel came flying my way. When I poked my head around again, I dove for cover once more, nearly being nicked by a shot from the core laser!

_Yeah, I think Eggman stopped caring about me as soon as Sonic showed up again._

Sonic had seen what had nearly happened, and his aloof demeanor suddenly took a one-eighty as he became fierce, the smile still there but with a far more dangerous meaning behind it. He didn't even bother taunting Eggman this time, instead waltzing up to the bottom of the Egg Genesis and bouncing in place on the ground, going higher and higher until he crashed into the core laser reactor, shattering its glass and rendering it unusable. It sparked with a dangerous amount of electricity, but Sonic alighted back on the ground with a hardened look.

"Think you're all that now, don't you?" Eggman chided. Sonic glanced up at him and grinned, flashing his fangs.

"That's pretty big talk for a guy that's about to lose!"

"It's not over until it's over, and that's something I would hope you of all people would understand."

Eggman became more even toned and less willing to fly off the handle the same way that Sonic came down from his light-hearted demeanor and buckled down to business. The way both of them could radically change their personalities yet stay true to themselves was mesmerizing.

"Only one more missile launcher to go, Sonic, and then its helpless," I stated aloud, having faith that Sonic would pull it off. With all the robots he'd rattled off earlier, I was now confident in that experience he had. But Eggman was unforgiving, letting loose with every last projectile he had. "Augh! Sonic, run!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Sonic gave back, traversing away from the oncoming attack with gusto. Eggman even attempted to use his core laser again, though thanks to Sonic breaking the glass on it, a bunch of different lasers flew out in all directions rather than just one big one.

_Whether that was an improvement or not remained to be seen._

Sonic wasn't going to put up with it though, streaking across the grass and making his way to the core reactor again. Getting back on top of the Egg Genesis must've been too risky of a move, and he figured that it'd be easier to hit it from below. Even with the multitude of missiles and lasers tailing behind him, he still charged ahead, taking the risk of getting hit to finally put Eggman's machine out of commission.

_And it worked…almost._

The Egg Genesis was certainly out of offensive options, and Eggman knew that too, so he turned his defeat into one final attack. Sonic was busy finishing outrunning what remained of Eggman's missiles, oblivious to the final strike from Eggman that was coming down upon him.

"Sonic, look out! The fortress is crashing!"

Alarms rang out from the Egg Genesis as it plummeted, Sonic catching the sound and knowing that he needed to _run_. I scrambled out from behind the rock, just in time for Sonic to swoop by and scoop me back into his arms, running straight ahead and not looking back for anything.

_I could still see what was happening though._

The Egg Genesis hit the ground in a catastrophic crash, pieces cascading everywhere. Debris formed instantaneously, and the Egg Genesis was thoroughly destroyed. Though it really did look bad, and one would initially think that no one could survive something so devastating as that…I knew Eggman would be back.

_Because if there was one thing I learned from being kidnapped so consecutively, it was that Eggman ALWAYS came back._

**E-S**

I…wasn't really expecting to be attacked by a robot like that, but eh, Eggman's got the same old tricks. It was my fault for not anticipating it properly.

_I still smashed it up pretty good, eh heh heh._

But man, Eggman was getting so reckless! And that was MY job! He was doing things without even considering the repercussions, and sure, he'd been susceptible to such actions in the past, but…I didn't even know WHAT was up with him now! He nearly hit Elise in our battle, the princess he needed so badly, and he didn't even care! And that full-scale plan of his to rule over time? How could be so blind as to not see how terrible things would become?

_Maybe some part of him in that back of his mind was doing what he thought was best…but then, I was here to make sure he wouldn't dive head first into a mistake._

And to think- I had come to Soleanna just to relax and have a little fun, and suddenly I was being slammed with Eggman's crazy plan to bring forth the Day of Disaster (which was TODAY), a guy from the future out for my blood, my closest friends in jail, trying to keep a princess alive to prevent the world from plunging into despair…yeah, some vacation, Sonic.

_I should probably stop taking those- my whole life is like a vacation, after all._

But as long as I could keep Elise alive until tomorrow, Silver would have no more reason to kill me, it'd be too late for Eggman to do anything, I could get Tails and Knuckles out of Soleanna jail (and having ties with the princess would certainly help), and the world would no longer be fated for an untimely and unfortunate end...and I could rest easy.

I suppose we were okay for now though, with me guiding Elise along behind me as we made tracks away from Eggman. We had ended up deep in the woods- jungle, maybe- when I saw that Elise was getting a little winded, so I let go of her hand to take a break. She then proceeded to put her hands on her knees and catch her breath. Despite being tired, she was looking a lot happier and less reserved than she was when we first met.

_This girl was a trooper!_

As she smiled over at me, I drifted over to her with an equal grin and gave her a thumbs up.

"Man, those were some gusty moves back there!" I exclaimed, voicing my approval. "Escaping from Eggman, going after Silver, _and_ jumping off of an aircraft? That was all on your own accord too!"

Her face appeared a bit red, but I figured it was from running so hard.

"Well, I was desperate…" Elise responded, huffing a bit. "…and um, I just had to get away. And with Silver…I didn't want him to hurt you again."

Subconsciously I rubbed the part of my arm where the bandage had once been, reminded of how it had fallen off in that first battle with Silver. Still, I shrugged and rubbed my nose.

"Well, don't you worry about Silver anymore- I'm sure Shadow will have him straightened out," I assured. "…he might be a bit bruised though."

Elise giggled a bit, then became serious, folding her arms behind her back.

"I owe you a_ lot,_ Sonic, and I truly do appreciate all the lengths you've gone to for me."

She tilted her head and smiled again, though her immense praise caught me off guard and left me without a witty response. I coughed on any words I'd been planning to say, instead laughing abashedly.

_Compliments ALWAYS make me blush! I dunno why!_

Thankfully –okay, NOT thankfully- something came along to distract us from our break, and I could see it approaching us in a dust cloud in the distance. My grin vanished as I tried to make out what was chasing us, finding that it was a whole pack of Eggman's robots.

_Guess we lingered around a tad too long. I'm outta here!_

"Sonic," Elise called out to me, pulling me from my thoughts. I shook my dazedness off and began formulating my next move.

"I'll head into the jungle!"

"Good idea," she agreed. "The jungle is so thick that the robots will have a hard time maneuvering through it!"

"Which makes it easy for me!" I exclaimed back, getting her settled in my arms again. She was getting lighter each time…

_Or I was probably just getting stronger, naturally. _

The robots were persistent in following us, but once I got to moving, they didn't stand a chance…though, it might've helped if I didn't completely slip down a hill I wasn't expecting to see.

"Yaaah!" I wailed, taken aback. Elise, meanwhile, was actually having fun with it, throwing her hands up as I slipped around on the wet moss on the ground.

"I've never been in Tropical Jungle before," she breathed, taking in everything with wonder. "The plants are so lush, the pink butterflies are so beautiful, and the feeling of life is all around!"

"Yeah," I agreed, slowing myself down by grabbing the branch of a tree. "There are places like this all over the world, ones that even I have yet to see!"

"It's amazing…!" she said in awe, reaching out and cupping a butterfly for herself. Just like the blue one we encountered in the valley, it wandered on her finger for a few precious seconds before taking off into the wind again. I glanced down at Elise, and seeing her so free and joyful for once was refreshing.

_Maybe I did have the power to get through to people!_

Jungles were personally one of my favorite places to run through because of the scenery, and that fact that it was so unpredictable made it the perfect challenge for a guy like me. Watching Elise have fun with it too made it that much more enjoyable, so I decided to kick it into high gear.

"Let's run straight up!" I declared, rushing over an incline of the ground.

"What!? How can you possibly-?"

"Just watch this."

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, we were in the air, high enough to be above the trees and feel the rays of the sun again, and watching the world in a new light. Eventually we descended into the stump of a tree –took me back to a certain 'Lost Jungle' I'd been to last year- and I gave Elise a daredevil look as we free fell towards the bottom.

"Sonic, no- that is not funny!"

"Ha ha, then why are you smiling?" I teased, but I catered to her when I finished the descent by bounding off of springs. Once we returned to the ground, she playfully hit my shoulder.

"Remember when you threw me into the air without warning me first? You're so dangerously reckless," she reminded me. I jokingly rolled my eyes.

"And THAT'S coming from a girl who willingly jumped off a moving aircraft," I countered, and she burst out laughing.

"Oh my goodness, you really DO have a comeback for everything!"

_Except for compliments, apparently._

I smirked and half-heartedly shrugged. "Yeah, as you saw with Eggman, I get a_ lot_ of practice. My wit is as fast as my feet!"

I tore through a grove of trees, sweeping my way around rocks and jumping over roots in a successive fashion, putting on a spectacle of my maneuvering abilities. Elise held on for the ride as we cruised over a land-made half pipe, until I saw a gap ahead, and there was no way I could cross it with Elise in my arms.

"Sonic, it looks like you can grab that vine!" she pointed out to me, and sure enough, there was a conveniently placed vine right above the gap.

"Good eye, now hang on tight!"

I pushed off the edge of our path and took to the air, wrapping one arm around Elise and reaching for the vine with the other. She draped her arms around me and gripped me tightly, as I requested, so when I grabbed the vine, our combined weight made it swing forward, and we were able to get a good enough swing for me to launch us over to the other side. An Egg Shooter was waiting for us, but I landed on it and kept on running.

_Nice try there, robot._

Descending lower into the jungle, we came across a few waterfalls drizzling over the cliffs, which Elise found completely magnificent. …I found it more as a warning of what was to come. This girl didn't know that I had a crippling fear of water (and for good reason, darn it all!) and if we about to come across some…it'd be embarrassing.

"Ooh! There's even a rainbow over there!" she squealed excitedly, and I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

"Ah, yes, flowing _water_. Truly majestic."

I made a left into a cave, which was filled with robots, but at least it wasn't water! Taking care of them was cake, even with Elise in my grip, and we were out as fast as we entered. On the other side, we were presented with a fantastic view of some of the trees in the jungle, with long thin green vines crisscrossing everywhere. I had a little experience grinding on vines, so I took my chances with these ones, and lo and behold, I pulled it off.

"Yeah!" I whooped, whisking around the trees much easier than I could on foot.

"You can even grind on vines…" Elise trailed, shaking her head. "You never fail to surprise me."

"I also never cease to amaze," I affirmed boldly.

"I've noticed," she retorted, a laugh escaping afterward. Elise then looked down at the world below and breathed. "To think…that there are views like this everywhere…"

"And very few get to see them," I murmured under my breath. I knew she was one of those people, but that's because she was royalty and that was understandable. The problem was, again, the vast majority of the world was NOT royalty, and therefore could go wherever they wanted if they truly wanted it enough…but alas, most lived their lives on their home planet without knowing what that home truly looked like.

_And for me, giving the chance to see more of the world to just one person was an immense feeling, and was one I wouldn't trade for anything. _

Once the "grindable" vines ran out, I resorted to the ones that actually swung, making my way from tree to tree in record time, until Elise gestured over to a path not too far away from us.

"Sonic, to your left! Over there!"

"Roger! Thanks, Elise!"

Kicking my legs in and out, I managed to change the direction we were swinging, and at the peak of the swing, I let go and let us fly. We eventually hit a spring situated on a tree, where I then alighted on another vine and grinded my way through.

_However…it wasn't very stable._

The end of THAT particular vine was weak at the end, and we would've completely flown off had I not grabbed the end of it. I pulled Elise in close as we suddenly started to fall, the vine stretching down with us as we plunged toward the forest floor.

"Aaaaah!" Elise wailed, flinching upon seeing how close to the ground we were getting. With closer inspection, it turned out we were suspended above water instead, and that was enough to make sure I kept my grip on both her and the vine.

The tip of her heel grazed the water as we slowed to a stop for the briefest of moments…until the vine snapped back up and sent us flying along with it. I let out a cheer into the air as she gripped onto me like her life depended on it, and frankly, I had no idea where we'd end up.

_As long as it wasn't water._

Luckily we ended up in the trees, so I worked my way down the branches and avoided some rather large spider webs. Definitely did not want to be ensnared in there…but other than that, I ripped down the inside of a tree trunk, feeling pretty positive that there was no way the robots would catch up to us now!

"Wow, that was fun!" I hummed cheekily, merrily running ahead as Elise looked…sort of frazzled.

"Your sense of fun is definitely…exotic," she commented. I shrugged.

"I'm a weirdo. Can't help it."

We both laughed until I came to what I'd been dreading the most…a giant pool of water. Now, I could easily run across it on my own, but with Elise with me…

"Aaaaaargggghhhh…" I groaned, braking to a stop right at the water's edge. Elise's head popped up at the sudden halt, and she looked up to see me biting my lip at the sight of that deadly liquid sprawled out in front of me.

"Something wrong, Sonic?" she asked innocently enough, and I inwardly winced.

"Yup, everything's fine…no fear or anything at all!"

_Smooth._

She eyed me for the longest time until a knowing smile crept onto her lips. I scowled back, figuring she had nailed it.

"Sonic, are you afraid of water?"

_It's written all over my face…!_

"Maaaaaybe," I replied, closing my eyes and turning away. "Or maybe it just so _happens_ that I can't swim."

Well, at least that wasn't a lie. Elise seemed to understand at least that much and took it pretty well without insulting me relentlessly for it. Even Tails still had a bad habit of throwing a few jabs at me every now and then…

"I'm not that great of a swimmer either," she assured me, and I felt incrementally better about it. "If you run across though, my shield will ensure that we won't sink."

My eyes lit up. "R-Really?"

She nodded. "Yes! It got us across that quicksand back in Dusty Desert- this will be just like that!"

I turned back to the water again, visibly mocking me with its dark depths. "…you're certain we won't sink?"

"Princess' promise!" Elise exclaimed back. I took in a deep breath and nodded.

"…okay. Super Magic Gold Shield,_ activate_!"

She gave me a ridiculously long look before calling on her powers, and once we were completely enveloped, I boosted off, my feet padding against the water while Elise's shield kept us afloat. I was internally panicking the whole time, scared that Elise's shield would just randomly flicker off and cause us to plunge into the deep. But I had faith in Elise, and trusted that she wouldn't let that happen to me.

"How about riding this turtle?" Elise suggested when we were halfway across the pool. At first I was about to dismiss it, but considering that it wouldn't be my first time riding on the back of a giant turtle, I agreed. The back of the turtle felt smooth and wet, but stable, and Elise climbed out of my arms to pet its head.

"Aw, it's so cute!" she gushed, with the turtle making some strange sound that I could only assume meant that it liked the attention. "I've never seen a turtle before…let alone one this big and while riding on the back of it!"

"First time for everything," I pointed out, and she eventually nodded.

"Yes…I suppose there is."

She seemed a little forlorn now, but she perked up slightly when I picked her up again, stepping onto the mossy dock that the turtle brought us to. She took the time to thank the turtle for its assistance, then gave me the signal to go ahead. Smiling, I wasted no time in getting us the heck away from the water, much preferring the green and scenic landscape of the actual jungle.

_Take that, lake!_

At the end of the rather long boardwalk, I found what appeared to be a temple-like structure, but it was made to signal the way out of the jungle. A path had been paved through the trees, so I decided to go with the flow and follow it. Glancing over my shoulder, it also turned out that we had definitely thrown Eggman's robots off of our trail, which was a weight off of my shoulders.

Now, maybe I could finally get Elise away from Eggman's clutches for good.

**S-E**

Oh my goodness…going through that forest was SO much fun! Experiencing all those new sights for the first time was exhilarating, and at that incredible speed too! That little venture only made me even more blessed to have met Sonic.

_There was no way I would've gotten that taste of freedom without him._

Sonic was now taking the intended path through the jungle rather than the unconventional one he'd picked, and it was truly beautiful. The canopy above us had the sun rays poking through even the tiniest of crevices between the leaves and branches, giving the ground below an afterglow that was almost other worldly. Best of all, it was just me and Sonic now…no Eggman, and _definitely _no robots.

"It looks like we've finally lost them," I remarked, resting my head on his shoulder. He either didn't notice or didn't mind, for he didn't speak against the notion.

"Thank goodness," he said seriously, and I wondered what had brought on the tone of fierce conviction rather than that friendly confidence. "I'll have to go back and settle things eventually, otherwise Eggman will never leave Soleanna."

That thought disturbed me, but knowing Sonic would take care of it, it was a passing worry. But if he was going to go back to confront Eggman, what was he going to do with me…?

"Elise, you should go back to the castle, so that way you're not in the line of danger," he answered sternly, as if he'd read my mind. Sonic was incredibly dead set on that too, like something was making him think that it was honestly the best option for the both of us. There was concern in his voice, but also the lingering sense that he knew something that he really didn't want to know…

_And yet, my heart nearly broke._

Would this be the last time I got to see him? Was this the last we'd see of each other, with him gallantly dashing off to save my kingdom single-handedly, and me left to wish him luck back at my castle? After all my small efforts to help him, did I have to stand down now and let him take care of it? Was I supposed to go back to being a helpless princess?!

_Did I have to say goodbye so soon!?_

My mind flooded with those saddening questions, and it must've been obvious, because I hadn't responded immediately. Sonic was now looking at me like he was hurt, as if he didn't want to suggest what he did either but knew it was the best course. Not wanting to go against him, I gulped and tried to say "okay" but it simply betrayed how crestfallen I really was.

I tried not to notice, but his eyes were seeing right though me, watching me like he wanted to do something more for me. I didn't know what else he _could_ do- he'd done more for me in these past few days alone that anyone else ever did in my whole lifetime…I just realized that I didn't_ want_ to go back to castle –and not just because the last time I was there, Eggman had kidnapped me again.

I fell into a state of numbness, replacing the sadness my mind wanted to feel otherwise. The blissful world around us seemed to melt away as that unfeeling sensation washed over me, repeatedly telling myself in my head not to cry. Sonic was still eyeing me, my sadness palpable but I couldn't feel it…and then he suddenly veered off to the right.

"Sonic?"

He didn't answer- an idea took shape in his mind, and he was driving with it, dashing through the trees at a breakneck pace like he was looking for something. It certainly wasn't the way to the castle, so I increased my hold on him until he found his destination.

_And it was one heck of a destination._

We came to a place that was a haven in the middle of the jungle, where the sun shone brilliantly yet wasn't blinding, as if designating this place just for us. There was a large pool of water that glistened with the midday sun's rays, and in the middle of it was a tall cherry tree whose blossoms were dancing around in the wind in a melodically peaceful rhythm. The grass was just the right length; the other trees surrounding this paradise were just the right shade...!

_And thanks to Sonic, I got to see this for myself._

Sonic slowed his speed as we reached the edge of the oasis, where he stood me up and smiled softly as he took a few steps back, allowing me to bask in the beauty of it all.

"It's so beautiful…I've never seen so many flowers before…!" I respired, breath taken by it all. I didn't even know such a place existed in my country, and yet Sonic had found it on a whim…?! I felt so overwhelmingly happy that I didn't know what to do with myself. The flower petals from the tree drifted down softly to greet me like snowflakes; I let them land in my hand, then sent them back into the air.

_Sonic…he truly is the best there ever was…_

As I played with the petals, I noticed Sonic twirling around in the grass behind me like the goofball he was. I smiled a bit, but I couldn't help but be curious. "Sonic, have you visited many wonderful places before?"

His eyes shined bright as he answered, turning away from me to reminisce.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, almost even sounding a little excited. "I've seen so many cities, so many terrains, so many zones…I've been to a floating island, I've been to an abandoned space station, I've seen ruins of long lost civilizations, and it's been incredible!"

He wasn't bragging, believe it or not- his love for the world and adventure itself was radiating through his words, and I could feel that happiness he experienced too, _just_ by hearing about it. The zeal and enthusiasm he squeezed into the most mundane things of life make the extraordinary things appear that much more mind blowing, and to have that experience- to be able to do that at a moment's notice!- was incredible, and I admired him so much…

But I realized…that to do so much in one's lifetime, one that wasn't all that long to begin with, you have to move a lot. Even when we ran through the desert and through the jungle, I could tell that he was truly in his element when he merged in the wind. That was where he was truly happy…sure, he had come to Soleanna for a change of scenery and a new experience, but this would become routine again eventually, and with a free spirit like his, it was only a matter of time before he would break away and vanish over the horizon.

I knew personally that he wanted to see the world as a whole…and he certainly couldn't do that by staying in Soleanna. I couldn't keep him here, either.

"Once you defeat Eggman…" I began quietly, not wanting to say the words out loud but knowing I had to. "…you'll leave, won't you?"

Sonic's face went from beaming to downcast, because he'd known he'd leave from the start. Yet hearing me say it…it dawned on him how hard it would be to go. He hated goodbyes too, I guess. Eventually he nodded to respond to me, though his eyes fell toward the ground.

"…I'm sorry," he murmured, trying hard not to frown. "I just…this country is _beautiful_ Elise, and I'm so glad that I picked this wonderful little island to visit, even with Eggman's impromptu interruption…"

He raised his head up to face me; his smile there, but it was sad, which was a rare sight from him.

"But I can't stay- I can't stay _anywhere_," he confessed, and it was exactly as I had feared. "The whole world is my home; I want to see all of it, and I can't linger too long in any one spot- I gotta keep moving, and it's not just because of how I feel…that's just how I am."

He kept getting more emotional in every word, and though it had started out as an apology, I'd forgiven him before he had even begun.

"Not many understand why I do what I do, but I'm always willing to explain anyway," Sonic stated boldly, shaking his head and shrugging. "I just gotta keep running, because I'm a guy that loves adventure as much as I love my friends, and I'm sorry that you may not see more of me, but you should know that my time spent with you was not wasted."

His smile radiated up at me, and it was so genuine and pure that I couldn't be upset in that moment. How selfish could I be to have wished him to stay, when the world needed him more desperately than I did…in fact, he needed the _world_ much more than he needed _me_!

_And with a love like that…how could I fault him for it?_

I found myself grinning back, shaking my head in spite of myself.

"Sonic… your apology for something that isn't your fault is unnecessary…" I told him, and his eyes lit up. "Your smile; your absolutely brilliant smile…that's all I need."

I didn't think Sonic could get any happier upon hearing me regurgitate his words that had changed my life. I was merely glad to have simply _made _him happy. He was so important to me, and I was only realizing this just now…

"Though I've been frightened many times, I really enjoyed this adventure," I explained, truth in every syllable. "It allowed me to be something other than a princess…I was able to be myself; a girl. It was thanks to all that…that I finally got to experience what it's like to be free."

I stepped a little closer to him, folding my arms behind my back. His grin was constant, though now it was sympathetic.

"It sounds like being a princess isn't that easy," he remarked, pointing at me. "I know I couldn't handle the royal life for very long, but you manage to do it every day…it may not be an ideal situation, but it must take a lot of work, and I greatly respect that you can do all that."

He pointed his thumbs at himself and winked.

"I don't think I could pull off the fancy clothes or constant pampering…good thing there's no way I can be a princess, hey?"

I laughed harder than I expected, but I recollected myself quickly. "Yeah, it really isn't easy sometimes, but I love everything about this country; everyone in the castle, the children, and all my citizens really, _and_ the varied landscape! I love it all about as much as you love the world itself, and my place is here, even if I don't like it sometimes…"

"I could tell at the Festival of the Sun, you know," he suddenly stated, and I froze up a little.

"You...were watching that?" I asked. Seeing as I never had much fun at the festival, I was surprised that he'd managed to derive my love for my people out of my rehearsed wave.

"Yeah, the Festival was what drew me to Soleanna to begin with!" he chimed. "But you know, even with how far away I was, I could see the devotion you had to your country, and that you would do anything to protect it."

I nodded, feeling the numbness bubbling inside me but I refused to let it surface. "Yes, it's the same love my late father and mother had…"

I remembered what my father had told me shortly after my mother died, with my head resting on his knee seeking desperate comfort for the hole that had been ripped into my heart…

"Don't cry, Elise…" he would tell me as he stroked my soft hair in a comforting motion. "Become a strong queen who doesn't cry no matter what happens."

He would tell me this as tears of mourning for my mother streaked down my face, but even since then…I just replaced the sadness with the numbness, because I wanted to make my father proud, and I wanted to be the strong queen that my mother was…

_And if never crying again was how to do it, then I would try._

"…and so, I do my best to protect my country," I continued after drifting into my thoughts, shaking it off. "I understand everything my parents said to me now…"

_I had to be strong, like my mother…I had to be unwavering, like my father…_

"Sonic, when you leave here to go on another adventure…"

_Like the rush of the wind, he moves on and on and on…_

"...remember this place, and the excitement we've had, and…me."

Sonic smirked as he clenched his fists determinedly, a twinkle in his eye as he looked at me. "Definitely. As long as we both remember, we'll be together in our memories, m'kay?"

The wind drifted through my dress and hair, carrying a few blossoms with it. I had to turn away, but I finally mustered up enough resolve to nod.

"Okay, Sonic."

My positive demeanor was nothing but a façade- a brave face that the princess in me put on to console others and myself. I wanted to believe in it as much as I could, because that's what Sonic had told me, and that's what my father had told me. I wanted to uphold that philosophy so bad…

_I'm numb…so numb…_

But the girl in me was banging at the walls in the back of my mind, wanting me to break down right then and there. Sonic had helped me free that girl inside…but at the same time, the girl inside had grown too attached. It had been so long since I had someone care about me in such a manner that they'd risk their lives to keep me safe; both my parents were gone, and as much as I adored the people in the castle they could never replace that unconditional love…but they also didn't understand my plight; didn't understand me the way Sonic could.

_Don't cry…don't you dare cry…_

The girl in me wanted –needed- Sonic to stay, because if he left, my life would return right back to the way it was before; stuck in routine, being seen as the glorious princess of Soleanna and nothing else, and being alone once again…I didn't need that; _nobody _needed that, but my country came first, and within an hour or two, I'd be right back at the castle where I was meant to be.

_But what would I do without Sonic?_

How do you carry on, when someone shows you something you never knew you needed, and had to take it all away again? How do you walk away and never look back at that? How do you keep moving forward? Sonic knew how, but he hadn't told me what that answer was yet, and I needed him here to show me the way…! There would never be another person –hedgehog- like him again! He showed me that though the pressures of this world could take their toll, and that it was tough to get away when they take ahold, the only way for me to break free was to break the mold…

_But I couldn't break that mold alone._

"Elise?"

His voice had pulled me out of the darkness of my mind, his concern for me making my heart flutter against my will. To think there'd be a time when I'd never hear that voice again... He was my fire, flame, and my conflicting pain; he could see, and he could feel without one touch…and it was so unreal, but it was true…

_And I can't live without you._

I'm fine," I lied, putting layer upon layer of false content to mask what I was really feeling. "…sorry."

I could feel him staring expectantly at me, even with my back turned toward him. I tried to reach out for that sweet numbness that would take the pain away from me, but it was like it was running away from me, just out of my reach and forcing me to confront the sadness that was slowly taking shape in my eyes; the first sign of tears beginning to bubble over.

"I mustn't cry…" I told myself, but I was failing miserably at this point, pushing my breakpoint nearly to my limit. I didn't know how much longer I could keep it in! "I_ can't_…!"

Before that first tear streaked down my cheek, I suddenly found myself seeking solace in Sonic's embrace, keeling down and pulling him close to me in a frantic attempt to calm myself down, just like at Dusty Desert, but this time…I really needed it. It was embarrassing how dangerously close I came to falling apart, but I couldn't help what I felt… The sadness was _radiating_ off of me, so I knew Sonic could sense the turmoil in me, especially when he wasted no time in returning my hug to comfort me. It was a feeling I hadn't had in so long; that simple action of being hugged by those that cared…I felt safe, but I also knew that I had to let go.

"Elise," he said calmly, stroking my shoulder gingerly. "…smile."

Unburying my face from his shoulder, I wiped any lingering dampness from my eyes and placed a smile onto my face at his request, knowing I _would_ have to get past this and accept what was to come. I gave Eggman my spiel on changing how things were meant to play out; Sonic and I weren't meant to last long, and if that's how it was going to be, I could grow to accept that, but I would never let him leave my mind. I would figure out how to carry on all on my own, and I would find the answer to break the mold and keeping moving forward…

_Smile…_

Although, it turned out that Sonic had given me the solution to my problems a long time ago.


	13. Memories of the Penultimate Folly

**Christian Ape99: **Thanks! And it's still a shorter chapter than Sonic's White Acropolis. xD

**SonicSonic54321**: I was kinda forced to accept it in order to write this, ha ha. As for that part I think you're talking about...I wouldn't worry too much about it. ;)

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 12: Memories of the Penultimate Folly

_The day should've carried on without another hitch…but I was foolish to believe it could end there…_

The shadow of his large mechanical aircraft blanketed my city that fateful afternoon, intimidating all my citizens with its size and the threat it imposed. I didn't know where it had come from, but it was certainly here now…and knowing Eggman was behind it was the least of my problems.

"Princess Elise, ruler of Soleanna," he began boldly, the comment aimed directly at me and me alone. His maniacal voice carried through the entirety of the city, and I could only imagine my citizens' panicked cries. "By refusing to negotiate with me, you have forced me to take drastic actions. Meet me at the specified point ALONE, today at four o'clock. Failure to do so on time _will_ result in my leveling of this city, so that nothing but ashes remain!"

I'd been on the balcony of my castle at the time, trying to clear my head of the parting Sonic and I had earlier. I was accompanied by my ladies in waiting, who were reacting much more horrified than I was. I was only placid…because I already knew what had to be done, though I did not like it.

"Miss Elise…!" they cried out to me, eager for my plan of response.

"I cannot allow harm to come to my people," I finalized, remaining stoic and keeping my hands clasped together. My second lady in waiting gasped and shook her head.

"Miss Elise, you've only just returned an hour ago!" she exclaimed. "And the designated time he gave you is only half an hour away…!"

"It is my duty as the princess of Soleanna to protect this city, and this country," I explained, face emotionless. "To falter in that dedication would be to fail my people, and if I let Eggman do as he so desperately pleases would be neglect on my part, and I don't intent to do that. There is _no _other choice."

As I turned from the balcony and began to make my way toward the Egg Carrier, I took a deep breath and steeled myself. I had to remember that this was for my people, and to do nothing would risk their lives, and after what he did at the Festival of the Sun, I knew he _wasn't_ bluffing.

_It's just…going back would go against all the efforts Sonic put in to keep me safe…_

But now the stakes were higher…and I had to do this to keep my people safe. They always had to come before my own personal wishes…as much as it hurt.

_Nothing would start without action…though, nothing could end without it either. _

My ladies in waiting did nothing to stop me, knowing that any alternate decisions did not exist. I could feel their gazes locked onto me as I drifted away…as if this was the last glimpse they'd ever see of me.

**E-K**

_Well, can't say that jail was any worse than I expected. _

Aside from it being boring and really hard to look at, it was easy for me, just being still in the jail cell like I was, but Tails wasn't nearly as complacent. We were lucky enough to be put in the same cell as each other, but the cops had taken our communicators away, and now we had no idea _what_ was going with Sonic. A few reports about Elise being returned to the castle had drifted in, and that put us at ease for a while, but something even bigger than the princess getting kidnapped must've happened, because now there was only one cop lingering around to keep an eye on us; the rest had fled out in a mass panic.

I wasn't thinking about too much here or there, but Tails was utterly freaked. His fur was frazzled, his eyes were darting everywhere, and I could see the gears churning in his head trying to make as much sense of everything as he possibly could. His fingers drummed the wall, his foot was tapping, his tails were twitching-

_And it was making me anxious!_

"Good heavens Tails, I know you're concerned, but you're making me antsy with all that fidgeting you're doing!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "It's bad enough we're stuck here until someone gets us out- you dancing around like that isn't really putting me at ease!"

Tails whirled to look at me and made a slight face. "How can you be as complacent as you are when you KNOW that today is the day the world is going to end, and we're gonna be in _jail_ for it?!"

_Well, with that wording, that did sound like a completely crappy situation, but I was trying to not let it get to me._

"Well, don't you believe in Sonic?" I asked, and Tails' tails went straight out on end. "After all, there's no way he'd let us or Elise or the whole world down. For all we know, he's probably already stopped Eggman. I mean, those cops had said that Elise was brought back home around two-thirty!"

"Yes, but at _three_-thirty was when all the cops flocked out at the sight of something in the city," Tails pointed out, grabbing the bars of the cell and giving them a frustrated squeeze. "…what if that something was the Egg Carrier-?!"

"So what? As long as Elise isn't on there, there's nothing to worry about!" I exclaimed.

Tails smacked his forehead against the bars.

"Knuckles, what if the reason the cops left like that…was BECAUSE Elise got on the Egg Carrier!?"

I felt my face sour upon his hearing his deduction- it was certainly reasonable, and it would explain why the law enforcement was in such an uproar. Serves them right for doing such a shoddy job…but if that really was the case, then where was Sonic? Would Elise be okay? And what else did Eggman want to accomplish?

"This stinks…" Tails murmured, pounding the bars again. "I know we took the risk to help Sonic, but does he know what's going on now?"

"If there is a chance he doesn't know about it, then it's because he's probably coming back for us," I explained, leaning back against the wall. "Which…isn't entirely a bad thing-"

"Keeping Elise alive is far more important than us," Tails grunted, still stressed about everything. "What if something happened to him, which is why Elise is on the carrier to begin with, and then she dies, and THEN Sonic comes back and…that's when he fights Iblis and…you know…"

I couldn't help but shake my head- that big brain was going to be the downfall of him one of these times. "Tails, you're thinking way too far into this. What you need to do is relax…and trust in Sonic."

Tails finally pulled away from the bars with the most forlorn look I'd ever seen from him, where he then plopped on the ground against the wall opposite of me and took his head in his hands.

"I do trust in Sonic, more than I ever have at this point…" he confided in me, and I listened intently. "…but I just want to know what's happening, but we can't because those stupid cops took our communicators…"

I tried thinking of some ancient echidna wisdom to bestow upon him at this point…but I couldn't conjure anything up. This was definitely a unique situation we were plunked into because SONIC was involved. I couldn't offer much of a new perspective because my knowledge on Soleanna was far more limited than my knowledge on the surface world as a whole, and that was saying something. Still…there had to be something I could do…

"THAT'S IT!" Tails suddenly yelled, so excited that he spontaneously began flying in the air. I blinked- I didn't do anything. He looked overly relieved as he pounded a fist into his outstretched palm, his cerulean irises sparkling with an idea. "We haven't had our one phone call yet…!"

_What._

"Uh, sorry Tails, but Sonic doesn't exactly have a cellphone…" I pointed out, and his enthusiasm died for a split second.

"No, not _that_- everyone's communicator has a certain number programmed into them that can be used LIKE a phone number!" he explained, the light in his eyes returning as quickly as it had vanished. "All we have to do is call someone, get a gist of what's going on, and make a plan from there!"

_Of course. I totally coulda thought of that._

"Well, in any case, I can finally get around to doing_ something_," I declared, standing and limbering myself up. I then strolled over to the prison bars, started giving them a rough shake…and began yelling at the top of my lungs.

"YOOOOOOOO POLICE GUY!"

Tails looked floored as he pulled me away from door, eyes wider than plates. "Knuckles, that is NOT how you get law enforcement attention! What the heck-?!"

However, my plan must've worked, because the only police guy around came dashing around the corner, albeit clumsily. I resisted the urge to snicker as he gathered himself and stood to attention.

"Yes, jailbirds? May I be of service?" he asked, and I did have to roll my eyes as Tails pushed me out of the way to take control of the situation.

"Yeah, can we please have our one phone call? We didn't get ours immediately," he explained, and the policeman nodded.

"I suppose that would be all right…but just ONE phone call!"

"Huh?!" Tails' face twisted with confusion. "But, there's two of us-"

"And you committed the_ same_ crime of assaulting police officers!" he practically cackled. I narrowed my eyes at this guy- he was much too shifty. "Therefore, only one call!"

I was about to give this guy a few choice words and a piece of my mind before Tails gently pushed me back and flashed a devious smile to the policeman. I only knew it was relatively deceitful because I'd seen it before, but it went entirely over this guy's head. Thus, because I knew was it truly meant…I had every reason to be concerned.

"Very well, one phone call will suffice," Tails said far too sugary, and it almost made me squeamish. "However, we both must be present for our ONE call."

I gave him a quizzical look that I assume he missed, but he was confident in his words, which meant that there was some double meaning behind them…that the police officer didn't notice. Thus the officer took his key and unlocked the cell, straight-faced.

"Fine, I suppose I'll allow that," he grumbled, then immediately took hold of both our wrists and begrudgingly led us away. I gave Tails a look that asked if he wanted to me to flip the guy, but he silently shook his head and kept his gaze forward.

_Aw, I was kinda disappointed._

When we finally reached the phones, we were locked into a small room with the officer on the outside, to prevent escape and to release us when we were ready. I gave the wall a light knock, and realized that they weren't soundproof, but they were study. However, with the look Tails was giving me, I think it was a better idea to leave the walls intact…

"Anyway, killjoy, who're we gonna call?" I asked grumpily, watching as Tails punched in a specific number on the keypad. "Sonic, I assume?"

"Can't," he grumbled back, continuing to fiddle with the keypad.

_Wait, what?_

"Um, why?" I asked, and he gave me that 'it's a little complicated look' that he wore often. "If you straight up call Sonic, he'll fill us in on what's going on, and if he _doesn't _know, then we can get _him_ updated-"

"It's precisely because WE'RE not aware of his movements that we can't call him," Tails insisted, bringing the phone to his ear. "For all we know, he could be well aware that Eggman has Elise again and is tracking him on the Egg Carrier right now. Eggman could easily pick up on the signal from the communicator, or simply hear Sonic talking in response to us."

I couldn't help but make a face. "Yeah, but it's not like Sonic's ever subtle to begin with…"

_Never, ever, EVER, subtle._

"The point is, I'm not dropping him into any potential danger," Tails said seriously, yet before I could make another rebuttal to his otherwise well-intentioned claim, someone on the other side answered.

"Tails! Long time no see! What's going on?"

The voice was undeniably female, and definitely not Sonic, and I certainly hadn't seen it coming. I tried so hard to butt in and get clarification on what was going on, but Tails had a plan in his mind; I could see it in his eyes…and he knew what he was doing.

"Amy, I heard you were in Soleanna-" Tails began, although he cringed after being _expectedly_ interrupted.

"Yeah! I've been here for four days and the only one of our little group I've seen was Sonic, but that was a while ago and I haven't been able to track him since though I'm looking now and I got to meet Princess Elise which was really cool-!"

"Amy, we're in jail, that princess is aboard Eggman's carrier, and it is of the utmost importance that you splice the communication and get Shadow on the line too."

"Huh? Shadow's here too? Who is 'we'? Is Sonic with you? And why aren't you on your communicator?"

I promptly leaned against the wall and smacked my forehead. "Definitely the best choice there, Tails…"

For a split second I was hit with a murderous look, but Tails kept up the conversation with Amy.

"Yes, nearly everyone's in Soleanna, Knuckles and I are in jail, our communicators were confiscated, and Eggman's Carrier has Elise on it, and it's destined to explode…! If Elise is on there too, then she's going to die, so it's really important that this news gets to as many people as possible!"

"Aaaaaand we haven't the slightest clue where Sonic ended up," I added helpfully. I could hear Amy grunting on the other end, as if in deep thought.

"Well, I could totally break you out of jail if you need me to; after all, I AM the one that broke Sonic out of Prison Island-"

"You hijacked the Cyclone!" Tails exasperated with wide eyes.

"Well, I still don't know how you had _no _idea I was there-"

"Guys! The world is ending- focus!" I barked, throwing my hands in the air and getting ready to mangle the phone. The guard was now eyeing us suspiciously, and I put my giant fists down promptly. "…just tell her what she needs to do, Tails."

Sighing, Tails continued and rubbed his temple. "Listen, on your watch there is _literally_ a button that says 'splice call'. Push that, then select Shadow's contact."

"Do you want me to add Sonic too?" she asked casually enough. Tails went rigid at the notion.

"Until I know where Sonic is, I refuse to take that risk. We've been through too much in these past few days alone to be reckless."

_I still wanted to know how simply calling him counted as reckless, but his sudden steely demeanor must've been strictly out of concern for Sonic…especially seeing as we were a little held up at the moment. _

The room fell silent as Amy went to add Shadow to the conversation, and after a minute's worth of awkward crackling and being stared down by the guard, there was finally a response.

"What's the issue?" Shadow's no-nonsense tone nearly filled the room, and I personally wasn't sure whether to be relieved or terrified.

"We're a little held up at the moment with something important, so this better be good!" Rouge's voice came next. I felt my stomach do a somersault, recalling what went down at the Flame Core.

"What if I told you that Elise is on the Egg Carrier and the future we were trying to avoid is still in effect? Is that important enough?" Tails asked, and you could feel the distain from Shadow and Rouge, even though the phone.

"You mean…the Flames of Disaster will still be released today?"

THAT voice was painstakingly new, and neither I, Tails, Shadow, nor Rouge seemed to have the slightest clue. I almost thought that someone had hacked into our conversation, but after the sting of silence, Amy quickly cleared up our confusion.

"That was Blaze, guys- no worries! She's my friend!"

Tails and I instantly exchanged a look of terror before I bellowed out my shock. "Isn't she the girl that was with Silver talking to Mephiles?!"

"Hey, how do you know about that?!" the so-called "Blaze" interrupted, sounding a mix of annoyed and perplexed.

"What's she doing with you?!" Tails exclaimed. "She's with the guy who's trying to kill Sonic!"

"WHAT?!" that came from Amy, who sounded ridiculously pained. "Blaze…!? Not you too! WHY?!"

"Because Sonic's the reason the future is in flames!" Blaze insisted. "But…I lost Silver when he chased him at the train station."

"That's the last we saw of Sonic, too," I stated, narrowing my eyes. "What do you think happened to the both of them?"

"I don't know about Sonic, but we have no worries on Silver now," Shadow declared, with Blaze gasping sharply. "I stopped Silver from harming Sonic, and Sonic went after Elise…and as luck would have it, Silver and I went back in time ten years, to the disaster of the Solaris Project, and what we learned was that Sonic is not the Iblis Trigger…if anything, it's Princess Elise."

Amy was on the fritz, and you could hear it in her voice with her frantic pants and heavy breaths. "Wh-what…? What's all this talk about futures in flames and Iblis Triggers and time travel!? What have you guys been DOING?!"

"More importantly, what makes you say that the princess is the true Iblis Trigger?" Blaze demanded to know, and Rouge clicked her tongue in response.

"Ooh, someone's a little hot-tempered!"

"What?! Why you-"

"-But see, Iblis is actually sealed in Princess Elise, and that Silver friend of yours will tell you likewise," Rouge finished scathingly. Blaze seemed stunned by the information due to the fact she didn't respond immediately, but when she spoke next, the harsh edge to her voice was gone.

"I…if that really did happen, then Silver's not back from the past yet…"

"He did seem to be lingering a little, though I certainly doubt he stayed behind," Shadow clarified. "After all...there's a problem bigger than all of us on the horizon."

Tails, Amy, Blaze, Rouge, and myself fell silent at this development. My instinct was telling me that this went beyond the princess' unfortunate end on the Egg Carrier, but…what could be worse than that?

"We're all aware of Mephiles running around, yes?" Shadow asked, though Amy was the only one confused.

"Mephiles? Isn't that a place-?"

"Continue. I'm interested in hearing about this development," Blaze interjected, getting to the point.

"First and foremost, Mephiles and Iblis…are two halves of the same whole," he explained, and Tails suddenly started coughing, like the surprise of it all made him skip a breath. "And that whole…is the Sun God, Solaris."

"The one that they worship at that weird Sun Festival?" I asked, and Shadow confirmed it. "It's…real?"

"And apparently it has full manipulation over time," Shadow added. "Mephiles seeks to fuse with Iblis, and become Solaris…and his soulless thirst for destruction and utter desolation could drive him to unravelling the fabric of time."

"And we WERE in the middle of finding Omega to apprehend him, but SOMEONE interrupted us!" Rouge exclaimed. Amy made a scoffing sound.

"Hey, I was just doing as I was told!"

"Well we only interrupted you because we've got a more immediate problem," Tails affirmed. "I don't know when, how, or why, but Elise is aboard the Egg Carrier, when most of us know that it's going to malfunction and explode and release Iblis!"

"Blaze and I were in the city when the Egg Carrier flew overhead," Amy explained, sounding pleased to finally be able to contribute something. "Eggman threatened to burn down Soleanna if Elise didn't comply with him, so Elise must've gone in order to protect the people! She's super dedicated like that!"

"So that's what happened," Blaze mumbled. I then snapped my fingers as my eyes widened.

"Then THAT means Sonic must've saved her from the train station, but…she's gone…_again_…"

_She gets taken more than the Master Emerald at this rate…!_

"It's like she wants the world to end," Rouge grunted. "Not that she's entirely aware of the grand scope of things, but, you know. She's thrown us all to the wind through this action! Save us now, sure, but kill us all later-!"

"I…I don't understand…any of this…" Amy whimpered, completely dejected. "You knew I was in Soleanna…so why didn't you ask me to help or anything…?"

"But you can help, Amy, and right now we may need you more than ever," Tails suddenly stated, and the conversation faded remarkably quickly. "Out of everyone involved, the only one we don't know the location of is Sonic, and since you're an…um, expert Sonic Tracker, and don't have any demigods to chase down, AND aren't in jail, you might be the only one who can do this."

My jaw went completely slack at what Tails had proposed to Amy, and for whatever reason, I felt that some of the others had similar expressions. Amy herself was dead silent on the other side, and I would've thought she'd fainted if she didn't finally speak up when she did.

"You…WANT…me to find Sonic?" she asked, and Tails nodded though she couldn't see it.

"Seeing as mine and Knuckles' communicators were confiscated, I haven't been able to check the Radar to find him," Tails explained. "But if you check yours, and it turns out that he's nearby, I need you to tell him everything in person."

"Why in person?" Blaze questioned, as if she was totally in the know about everything. "What's wrong with her just calling him, as you're insinuating?"

"If she calls him in person, he'll think it's a trap for a date," I added with a cackle, and Tails swatted at me. "It's the only snag in the plan!"

"Shut up, Knuckles!" Amy barked back, and I imagined that she pulled her hammer out at that moment. "I'll find Sonic in no time flat, no problem! After all, I kept on your heels when Chocola and Froggy were kidnapped, ah?"

_Yeah- too bad you were going after the wrong guy._

"I…have to apologize, but I need to hear that Sonic isn't the Iblis Trigger from Silver himself," Blaze spoke up again. "I trust him more and I…don't even know who you all are, let alone what you look like…"

"As long as you're not gungho to kill Big Blue, I'm sure we'd all get along fine for the most part," Rouge pointed out. "Not sure how a certain echidna would mind another girl in the group, but-"

_Argh, the nerve of her…!_

"In any case, it seems we've all got our work cut out for us," Shadow stated curtly, ready to end the conversation. "I appreciate being kept in the loop and informed on other happenings, but I've got a psychopathic time-travelling demon to seal up."

"Ah, Shadow, always with a dark sense of humor!" Amy giggled, and I could _feel_ the deadpan in Shadow's voice.

"None of that was a joke."

"As long as someone's out there doing something, that's all I can ask at this point," Tails stated, releasing a sigh as he brushed his fingers through his bangs. "Sorry for bothering you all, but with Knuckles and I in jail, there's not much we can do from our end."

"I'll seriously break you out," Amy added afterward, and Tails' face completely soured.

"No, that won't be necessary. Just find Sonic!"

Amy giggled. "Ha, don't need to tell me THAT twice!"

"See you all on the other side of tomorrow, hopefully!" Rouge exclaimed, and Shadow's line went dead instantly.

"It was…interesting hearing from you all, and thank you for shedding a new perspective on my situation," Blaze stated next, a flair of humbleness and dignity in her tone. "Perhaps…had circumstances been different, we could've met. And I think I would've liked you guys."

"Even though you wanted Sonic dead, you're still a nice girl Blaze, along with Silver!" Amy exclaimed, with the sound of her hands clapping at the phone. "We're gonna go find our boys, so…sit tight you two! I'm sure Sonic will come to get you once everybody is safe and futures aren't in danger of ending."

"Um, our boys?" Blaze had stammered to ask, but Amy's line went dead too, and thus, Tails hung up the phone. We both stared at the phone a final time, our last lifeline to our friends in this horrid little place, and we each heaved heavy, heavy sighs. Tails especially didn't want to pull apart from the phone, because for the time being, there wasn't anything else to go back to.

_Nothing but waiting, and Sonic had pounded into his head that waiting was like an intangible poison._

"Back in the cell you go, boys!" the guard announced, grabbing us by the arms and yanking us back toward the cell. My muscles tensed in his grip, but Tails had warned me not to make another scene, or else our circumstances would potentially be worsened…

_Now I was having the strange desire to start playing the harmonica._

Upon being tossed right back to where we started from, Tails looked twice as forlorn as he did when he started. He'd been completely out of sorts before, but with the way he was trying calm himself down, he didn't look any better now. Eventually I stepped to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it'll be okay." I tried being optimistic for his sake, but we both knew my optimism was normally as dry as a cactus. "It seems bleak now, but you know just as well as I do that Sonic's never going to let anything happen to us, to any of our friends, or to the world."

"If there was ever a time to put our faith in Sonic, it'd be now," Tails stated, catching me a little off-guard. He looked over his shoulder and flashed his room-brightening smile. "…that's what you were about to tell me, right?"

I nodded- the kid was definitely smarter than he looked, even with my firsthand knowledge of his capabilities.

Well, with nothing left to do but hope and wait, Tails sat quietly on the floor and tried to divert his thoughts to other things. Me, I was left to stare out the jail window, our only glimpse at the outside world- and Tails wasn't quite tall enough to see through it, unless he flew. I grabbed the bars and felt the breeze in the waning day even through my thick mittens, and I knew…that somewhere in the breeze, Sonic was running.

_Just…where TO was the question._

Was he aware of Elise's fate? Had he falsely believed Eggman was brought down and decided to enjoy himself? Or had he been tracking Eggman the whole time, and the madman had somehow been a step ahead and managed to slip through his fingers?

_Being in the dark was so hard, especially at a time like this…_

Consoling Tails was hard, especially when he was harboring the same concerns that I was, and I didn't even know how to quell _myself_ of them. I didn't have that magic touch to make everything seem better like Sonic did. I couldn't put a spark in the most mundane moments like he could. And I really couldn't turn every frown I saw into a smile, even if it was just the tiniest of a smirk…

_No one could do what Sonic could, and as grating as he was on my nerves, I couldn't imagine life without him._

But even with Elise on the Egg Carrier, there was no way Sonic was going to let that continue. Too many things hinged on his very beliefs in the action alone, and knowing what the consequences meant for other people…he'd die trying before ever letting Eggman get away.

In a fit of frustration that I hadn't been aware was building up inside me, I gripped the bars on the window and felt them crunch in my grasp. Tails' head whipped up at me as I strangled the bars, and a primal yell rose up within me as a last desperate plea to ensure that all our efforts hadn't been for nothing.

"_SOOOOONIIIIIIIICCC!"_

**K-S**

_All right, I admit, parting with Elise was hard. _

I so knew it was going to be with that look of a kicked puppy she gave to me when I explained what I had planned to do. Trust me, I didn't even want to go after Eggman this late in the game, but with everyone else rather…preoccupied…I was kinda the only guy left. Thing was, I'd searched every inch of the kingdom, now that I was a little more familiar with the geography, and there was no sign of his Egg Carrier. The only place that came to mind was White Acropolis, and I'd already combed that place with the guys.

_And I wasn't about to get mowed down by a snowball again, natch._

So eventually I had meandered back into the city, though the citizens were a lot more frenzied than when I'd left them. A shroud of horror and discomfort filled the air and crossed the faces of every person I met with. It certainly wasn't how_ I'd_ feel if my princess had returned home…so yeah, part of me thinks I missed something when I went looking for Eggman.

_Yet something tells me that, irony of irony, it was Eggman that I'd missed._

At that thought, I felt my whole body bristle; I'd been searching for Eggman, and now with the possibility that he'd managed to dance around behind my back, my stomach was suddenly in knots. To quell the feeling, I tried asking the people what they knew, but I could never draw out anything coherent or helpful. Most of them had been too stunned by whatever they saw, and the rest were practically a sobbing mess from something else. None of this was any good, and worse, I was still without a lead on Eggman…!

"I should've just kept her with me," I grunted, clenching my fist. "How am I supposed to protect all these people from that one man's reign…when I can't even protect just the most important one?"

No one was around at the moment, so I grabbed the sides of my head and let out a frustrated growl- this whole thing had me far more worked up than I needed to be. It made me wish that I'd never stepped foot in Soleanna…but I also knew that was only anger talking. After all, had I never showed up, Soleanna probably would've burned down in that initial attack, Eggman would've gotten Elise, and the world would have ended far sooner. Yet, I was here now, and as far as I knew we were all still headed in the direction of devastation, and it just brought me back to when I was standing in the doctor's future base, with the destiny of the world displayed on the screen for me to see…

"The future is never set in stone…" I whispered to myself, eyes narrowing determinedly. "What we see now is only what will probably be, but there's still time to change this."

_There was still time…there was always time, even if it was just few short-lived seconds…_

"I can't let what I see bring me down, because in my mind, it hasn't happened yet…" I punched my fist into my palm and smirked, suddenly starting to jog. "…and as far as I'm concerned, it _won't_."

I was still clueless on where to find Eggman, but wandering around kicking myself about it wouldn't help anything. My friends, whether they be captured, in jail, or halfway across the island…they needed me to do my part, and I was going to make sure that I did! In fact, I was feeling so reinforced with confidence that I was chanting my name in my head, and it was so loud and vibrant someone may as well have been yelling it at me.

"SOOOOOONIIIIIIIC!"

_Wait a minute._

I found myself braking to a stop on my heels, whirling around to see Amy running full force at me. Now, normally this would be my cue to go bolting off in the other direction, but Amy wasn't looking love struck as usual. An air of panic and terror was about her, just like all the citizens of Soleanna, and seeing as she did save my life with Silver's first attack on me, I owed it to hear her out.

"Amy? What's wrong?" I tried to ask, but she plowed into me seeking solace and trying to keep herself together.

"I…I don't know the full story on what's going on, but…Tails told me to tell you in person that Elise went on Eggman's Carrier!" she exclaimed, eyes looking crazed and frenzied. I felt my pupils shrink.

"What…Elise went onto the carrier?! Willingly?! Why?"

"After three today, Eggman flew the carrier over the city, where Blaze and I were," she explained, trembling with her words. "He said that if Elise didn't comply with his demands, he'd burn down her whole kingdom and wipe out all of her people!"

_Wow, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time then…_

"How low is he going to go for this?!" I hissed, clenching my fists. "I literally just got Elise into safety and he pulls a trick like this! There's no way Elise was going to let her people suffer, so I can't fault her for that…and that only means I have to stop Eggman, and now!"

"How are you going to do that?" Amy questioned, clasping her hands together. "The Egg Carrier already launched, and last I knew, it was headed over Kingdom Valley after Eggman made that announcement…I have no doubt that you can catch up with it, since it wasn't moving THAT fast, but getting up there is next to impossible, even for you!"

"Don't you worry, Ames, I'll find a way," I declared. "I refuse to let Eggman get away with any of this anymore! His tactics keep becoming more and more underhanded, and I'm sick of it…!"

Words couldn't even begin to describe how fed up I was with Eggman, but projecting my anger was useless…especially since he wasn't around to hear me rant about him. Instead, I needed to focus all my energy on saving the one who needed me most in that moment.

_I gave her my word, and now is not the time to go back…_

"Please save her; she's a really nice girl," Amy stated, and I found myself feeling confused.

"Wait, you've met her…?"

Amy nodded and brightened up a little. "Yeah! I, uh…followed you to White Acropolis, but you were long gone…"

_Ah, yes, I was in the future, then. Thank you again, Egghead._

"She was locked up in a room, so I busted her out of there and brought her back to the castle! …though, I guess she got tangled up with Eggman immediately after again. Some help I was…"

My eyes lit up. "You're the one who got her out of White Acropolis? She mentioned being rescued when we were running through the jungle, but I didn't realize…"

"I know, shocking- Amy tried to help and just made things worse as usual." She pulled out her hammer and leaned on it with a grim expression. "Everyone's off doing these crazy things all around me, helping people and trying to set things right, and I don't have a clue about what's going on, but I just don't want to be on the sidelines uselessly…when I found her, I just…took the chance and tried to help her out."

"If it makes you feel better Amy, I don't know all that much about what's happening either, except for the fact that today is when the world is designed to end," I stated with a small smile. "I've been so focused on Elise and Eggman that I haven't had much time to learn anything else…so, actually, I'm glad that you were looking out for her in my absence, Amy."

She seemed stunned by the words, and if I didn't know better I figured she would've fainted. However, when she recovered herself, Amy balled up her fists and put on a determined smile.

"Well, as much as I would love to hear you compliment me all day like that, someone needs you more than I do right now, so don't let me keep you! If anyone can get her back, it's you Sonic, and I fully believe that!"

I couldn't help but grin- even with all her faults, I could always count on Amy to encourage me or cheer me up when I needed it. She never seemed to realize that she was the spirit of the team, not always needed for the action, but to be the anchor we needed to go back to, and remind us just what we were fighting for.

_When she wasn't smothering me, yeah, I appreciated her company a lot._

Knowing I needed to get moving, I gave Amy a firm nod and a flash of a smile. "Thank you for telling me what you know, Amy- I really had no idea where to go until you showed up! Now, I'm going to bring Eggman and his new toy down…and I will bring Elise home!"

Amy giggled and held up her hand for a high five; I returned it, gave her a two finger salute, and blitzed off for Kingdom Valley. I didn't look back, staying focused forward, and letting nothing stand in my way…

_With destination in mind, the only thing I had to do now was finish the journey. _

**S-E**

"You've wasted so much of my time…"

The same could be said to him about me.

Doctor Eggman had me entrapped in a chair this time, not taking any risks after my escape from his base with Amy. There really wasn't much I could do anyway, as this carrier was over ten times the size of his Egg Pod, and not to mention a fall from this high up would be certain death. Anything within my capability was impossible now, and Eggman knew it. He circled me like a hungry shark, pacing around my chair as if I'd vanish again if he looked away. I remained uncooperative, turning away each and every time he attempted to look me in the eye. I didn't need his constant gaze hounding me- his mere presence was overbearing enough.

"If you had cooperated with me earlier, I wouldn't have had to do this!"

"What are you TRYING to do, Doctor Eggman?" I asked sternly, tired of his games. "Why do you wish to revive the Flames of Disaster?"

"Did your parents ever disclose anything to you about Solaris?" he asked me, and while I very well knew the answer, I kept silent. "Solaris' secrets are in his eternal flames. His power…can change time, and even manipulate the fabric of time itself. I wish to obtain this power, and dominate everything in this world! From the past all the way to the future!"

To anyone looking in that didn't know better, the way Eggman spoke would have come off passionate and dedicated, like he sincerely had a dream and wanted to do what it took to accomplish it. Naturally, there was nothing wrong with that alone…but each little meticulous detail that enriched his plans kept pushing him and pushing him over the line between the sane…and the completely deranged.

"You really wish…to rule over…time?" I exasperated, still in disbelief that he was willing to go through with a plan that was so entirely out of his reach. Really, it was out of anyone's reach…

Still, he was dedicated, and was showing no signs of slowing up anytime soon. "Yes, truly. And the secret…"

He whirled dramatically to face me, hands raised over his head.

"…it remains dormant in _you_, Princess."

_So…he really does know about me, then…_

Leaving me alone for the time being, Eggman walked over to the dashboard of the Egg Carrier and began typing in some coordinates on his radar.

"The Princess of Soleanna and the seven Chaos Emeralds…" he murmured to himself, deeply focusing on his screens otherwise. "Once I have everything, the fate of the world will change…and one of those beautiful gems is just ahead!"

"Chaos Emerald located," the screen beeped back at him, locking onto an area in Kingdom Valley and showing a picture of the white emerald.

_An emerald…that held some importance to me…_

"Finally," Eggman grumbled, casting his hand forward. "Now, let's go get that emerald!"

That very emerald had been given to me while I was young, shortly after my father departed from this world. The memory of me receiving it was fuzzy, because I was partially asleep…but I was conscious enough to remember the white hedgehog who placed it in my hands, who spoke softly and gave me words of hope.

"That's a Chaos Emerald," he explained, sounding forlorn but yet, somewhat content. "I've been told that Chaos Emeralds can cause miracles…and that to even have one is like having a lucky charm…"

_Chaos Emeralds…were lucky charms…_

"That was the emerald your father held…right before he passed, so I think you should hold onto it for now. There may come a time when you need to give it up, but remember, even having one is considered lucky…"

Truth is, that white emerald simply…_vanished _one day, like it had other places it needed to be and warped away. My only good luck charm was gone, the only thing that put a spark in my days…but I got along without it. However, I must've still had some luck left over, because just a little over a year ago, after word that the supposed alien invasion had passed…one of my servants entered the castle with a blue gem in hand, claiming that emeralds just like it had somehow ended up all over Soleanna.

To this day, I don't understand why the emeralds picked my country to end up in, nor did I understand how, but…I considered it a fortunate happenstance, like they were here for a reason. With the blue gem in hand for the following months, I kept it close to me…for it reminded me that the world really was out there, and that a miracle could happen at any moment.

* * *

**For those who haven't been following Silver's story (and an explanation for those that have), the scene where he gives Elise an emerald...I swapped out the blue one for the white one. This was done to take the blue emerald out of its time loop AND to prevent Silver from removing the white one out of time for ten years. Of course, this still has its few problems, but WAAAY less than what there originally was. Plus, at least this way all of the main Sonic games before hand still could've happened without any snags. :D**


	14. Memories of the Day of Disaster

**Katz4: **Thanks! The phone call AND that fight scene were some of my favorite parts to write, but the best is still yet to come!  
And in response to your review to 'I Am All of Me', the game _is_ pretty dark, but as it was designated as a "choose your own adventure" sorta game, I had to take a few story liberties to make it consecutively flow. Plus, anyone that isn't Shadow hardly does anything in the game (like in 06! *shot*) so of course I made sure to tweak that too. Glad you're enjoying it. :D

**Christian Ape99**: Cool, hope yours was good too! ^^

. . .

**All right, we're finally here..._the_ Kingdom Valley chapter..._  
_**

* * *

We Both Remember

Chapter 13: Memories of the Day of Disaster

I made quick work of running through the forest, bypassing all those who tried to stand in my way. Police officers? I was_ trying _to save your ruler. Flying eagles? Please, much too slow. Three trials…!?

_Ain't nobody got time for that. _

The trees around were tall, and their shadows were long; a sign of the waning day and the trickling hours of sunlight. My footsteps were heavy and successive as I hurried down the path, blasting through the trees in my quest to get to the valley. I know the last few times I had tried to chase down Eggman's transportation weren't entirely successful, but THIS was when it was really going to count…

_Now more than ever…!_

So when a pack of Eggman's Egg Shooters flew down from the sky and proceeded to take aim at me, I was more than ready to tear them up, but that was grating on my time. Regardless, I slid to a stop and gave them the mother of all dirty looks, but just before I could act at all, the robots all suddenly leaned back, like some invisible force was pulling them back. They were also now enveloped in green, and the answer as to why dropped down in front of me, back facing me with his arms at the ready.

"Hr…HAH!"

With a fancy display of moving his arms, Silver held out his hands and sent all the robots flying backwards, smashing and crashing into each other and leaving a ton of debris in the wake of things. Silver then stood straight again and dusted himself off before turning to me.

"You look like you're in a hurry!" he said brightly, which was a ridiculously different tone than how he'd greeted me in previous encounters. However, I wasn't about to buy into his sudden kindness- it was probably his latest ploy to blast my head off.

_Still, if he WAS turning over a new leaf…_

"…so…" I began cautiously, glowering at him contemptuously while leaning my cheek on my palm. "…what's going on?"

Silver stared at me with an actually remorseful look, but he turned away before I could get a decent enough read on him. My muscles tensed and my quills sharpened reflexively; if there was gonna be a fight, I was gonna need to be ready!

"Circumstances have changed," he said after an unsettling silence, hanging his head. "I…need to rescue the princess."

_Wow, Shadow must've REALLY done a number on him._

"Why the sudden change of heart?" I questioned, still on the defensive. "For the past several days you've done nothing but praise the idea of my death, and now you suddenly need to save a life…trust me, I'm glad that you're finally seeing things straight, but-"

"I know it seems sudden, but I have learned the truth," Silver explained with his eyes still locked on the ground. "All this potential death, all this destruction on the horizon, all this fighting…"

He lifted his head and met my gaze, golden irises shuddering slightly.

"…I just want it all to end, one way or another."

Silver appeared like he was going to fall apart at any second, so I flounced over and put my hand on his shoulder.

_Hey, I hated sadness, no matter WHO was sad._

"All I can ask for is that you're on the right path now," I stated seriously, yet smiling casually. "I could've told you that Elise was the one that needed to be looked out for, rather than, you know, trying to assassinate me-"

He winced like my words wounded him, teeth clenched and muscles taut.

"I'm really sorry, Sonic…I never wanted to take your life, but for so long I thought that was the only way to save things, and I…I…I nearly made a huge mistake! I should've realized Mephiles' tricks and Eggman's scheme sooner!" Silver was beside himself now, shrugging my hand off his shoulder to face his back at me. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but please, at the very least, heed my apology and allow me to offer my help in any way I can…"

I blinked before breaking into a smile. "I forgive you."

_Gosh, you'd think I'd punched him._

"What…what!?" he stammered, whipping around to face me with a dumbstruck expression. "That easily…!? I tried to KILL you! That's not a light offense-!"

"I know," I said calmly. "Yeah, I wasn't too keen on losing my life, but your intentions were in the right place…they were just headed in the wrong direction."

I winked and folded my arms.

"'Sides, I'm a ridiculous pushover for apologies. It's easy to get revenge, but it's harder to forgive, so…it's a really good thing I'm great at forgiving, then!"

Silver still looked like he'd been struck by lightning, but eventually he snapped out of it and nodded firmly.

"I…okay then. Let's go save the future!"

_Heh, he's a tad dramatic…but, I suppose we all are in a way. _

Thus, I put my hands on my hips, gave him a nod, and motioned for him to hurry along. At this late in the game, I could use any help I could get! Besides, holding a grudge wouldn't help anybody, and if he was serious about not needing to kill me anymore, I'd welcome the assistance.

"Silver, we don't have much time. Let's get to Elise right away!"

"I understand," he replied, using his powers to stay a few steps behind me. "And also, my friend Blaze should be meeting up with us in the valley."

"Ooh, I finally get to meet the elusive Blaze," I laughed, and he gave me a quizzical look.

"How'd you know about her…?"

"Saw you and her talking to Mephiles when Eggman threw my friends and I to the future," I explained with a shrug. "I've never seen her otherwise after that."

Silver didn't say too much after that, which was perfectly fine by me. After all, speed was going to be key in all this; there wasn't a moment to be wasted!

_Still, if I thought about this too hard, I was gonna implode._

I tried taking my mind off of the grand scope of things by scouting out the scenery, but it did nothing to improve my mood. It was like a storm was brewing or something with how the clouds were gathering in the sky on a once otherwise clear day. The large eagles that resided in the area were swooping around as if danger was on the horizon, and everything just looked bleak…so much for trying to perk up.

I was moving a lot faster than Silver, darting around the crates that had been in our way and immediately going for a horde of robots. As I spin dashed them to pieces, Silver had called for me to duck, so I went low. Seconds later, a herd of crates went soaring over my head, bowling all of the clunkers right over the edge of the path and down to who knew where- I was just glad it wasn't me.

"Nice shot!" I told Silver. "Now let's keep going!"

"Okay, okay…!" Silver hurriedly replied, glowing green as he moved himself forward. I smirked at his resolve, thrilled enough to even be moving, but then my eye caught a rail running alongside the path that would be perfect for grinding on…and it turns out THAT was just the distraction I needed.

"Yes!" I whooped silently, springing off the path and letting my feet alight on the rail. Sparks started to fly with the friction between the rail and my Custom Shoes, but it was an excellent feeling, and I couldn't help but hold my arms out and feel the rush of speed. In the midst of my subtle bliss, I happened to notice Silver jogging as hard as he could back on the path, watching me like I was some new animal species.

"What in the _world_-?!" he began to gape, but I threw my head back and gave him a smirk.

"You never grinded on a rail before?!"

"No, but I've seen Blaze do it dozens of times…" he murmured, almost sounding ashamed. "I'm not fast, skilled, or coordinated enough to do _that_…"

_Feh, I've seen robots grind on rails- anyone can do it!_

Still, the fact that his mystery friend was an avid rail user had my interest piqued, and it only made me want to meet her more. "Well this friend of yours knows where the fun is at; whoo hoo!"

"I _really_ don't think she does it for the thrill-!" Silver began again, but I boosted forward and let my cries carry on the wind.

"Don't know what you're missing…!"

I jumped over to a rail on the other side, turning myself around several times to keep my balance and gain speed before jumping back. Silver was gaping like a fish as I leapt back and forth from one rail to the other, and I could tell that he was having a little trouble keeping up with me. All he had to do was jump on and try…!

"Yeah!" I shouted, jumping off the rails and soaring through the air for the longest time. The path had run out at some point, and now I was racking my brain for a solution…yet all I found ahead was a stream of water. It had the shape of a grind rail, yet far loopier and…uh, more _fluid,_ but I had no idea if I could even land on it.

_I won't know until I try!_

I aimed myself at the water and instantly felt myself moving with the current, sliding down along the water like the world's greatest surfer. It was such a surreal experience that I couldn't help but cheer in excitement. Even the robots that appeared up ahead couldn't dampen my mood- I barreled into all of them, doing a few stunts in the air before landing on the water again.

"Now THAT is what I'm talking about!"

After riding the waves once more, I ended up on a platform with the only way to go being up. There was a series of ropes tied between the pillars scattered around, and if I used those, I could shoot myself towards the top!

"A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself!" I exclaimed, grabbing the first rope and pulling it as taut as I physically could. When I was confident, I pushed up off the ground and careened upward…only for the bridge I was aiming for to completely crumble as soon as I landed.

_Mph, my luck's not holding out now…_

With the loud sound of bricks rumbling all around me, I made a mad scramble for some stable ground, using crates and other sliding debris to work my way to the top. When the bridge finally ended, I pushed off of it and soared into the air again. My fingers barely brushed against another rope, but I managed to get a grip on it luckily enough, flipping myself to the top of it and shooting myself upward like a blue arrow.

Upon landing, I found another horde of robots, so I curled up and threw myself into their torsos on the spot. They didn't even have a chance to launch their missiles, which was good- I can't afford anymore scorch marks from those things. As I was celebrating my small victory, Silver managed to pop up over the edge, looking bewildered at seeing me there already.

"Sup," I said simply, holding out my hand to help hoist him up. He was surprisingly light as I dragged him up. "I assume there wasn't too much trouble on your end?"

"Yeah," he murmured weakly, crawling along the ground. "No…problem at all…"

He looked like someone had run him over with a steamroller, and seeing that the next area would prove to be a little…trickier to maneuver through if you were slow, I knelt down to his eye level and beamed in his direction.

"Say…what's the fastest you've ever gone?"

"Not very," he deadpanned, still sprawled out on the ground. "_Why_?"

I grinned and hoisted him back to his feet, gripping his wrist. "No special reason."

_And I broke out in a full sprint forward._

Silver _wailed_ the moment I started running, thundering down the path ten times faster than Silver could even hope to move. He screamed for several seconds straight, though as he slowly got used to the speed, he quieted down considerably. I don't know what he was going on about- we hadn't even gotten to the fun part yet!

"Don't freak out!" I told him, running alongside a brick wall where the floor was out. I felt Silver grip my hand tighter as he let out a loud wince.

"Too late for that…!"

I darted up and down the wall before proper footing was plentiful again, although I ended up running along the narrow edge of a cliff. Getting across that unscathed, we ran into a robot ahead, but I slid to the ground and skid between its legs, popping back up and rounding a corner.

"I'll deal with you some other time!"

We rushed across another wall again, and I think that finally Silver was starting to get used to it, but he wasn't totally thrilled by it as I was hoping.

"You're totally crazy!" he yelled at me, looking frantic. "Doing all these insane things and so successively…I thought that the past was normal, but you by yourself showcase the most insane parts about it…!"

I couldn't come up with anything to respond with immediately- Silver's statement had been so sharp and sudden that I nearly tripped over myself. How could he call me crazy when he didn't even know me- up until several minutes ago, I was just the guy he needed to kill! He didn't even know the first thing about me!

_What in the world…?_

I slowed down and let him go, maintaining a light jog but cutting off my blistering speed to talk to him directly. Couldn't bring myself to look at him though.

"You act as though you've never seen anything crazy in your life," I murmured under my breath, but he must've heard me, because he was scrambling for a retort.

"Well, I suppose monsters made of fire and random tornadoes in the middle of a city are a bit…abnormal, but I was born into that sort of thing, so I'm used to it."

_Tornados? Monsters? Saw those every week._

"Ha, that's nothing," I scoffed. "Call me up when the prototype of the ultimate life form attaches itself to a falling space station with only five minutes to stop it- _that's_ crazy."

"Wha…" Silver stammered, completely in disbelief. "No, that did NOT happen-!"

_You can't make this stuff up, bro._

"_Oh_, neither did that alien invasion last year," I started ranting, counting off things on my fingers. "Nor did a giant robot look-alike of me try to enslave the world with androids, nor did I get stuck battling a future-born hedgehog who was out for my life along with demons running amok through time-!"

Silver suddenly started screaming out of the blue, and I guess that remark about might've been a step too far. I glanced back at him, watching as he was trembling uncontrollably like a bomb getting ready to burst.

"Argh, stop it! Fine, FINE!" he shouted dramatically. "So you've had all these fanatical adventures and problems thrown at you, but you've managed to dance around them all just fine! But that's totally not fair!"

I halted and faced him on the stop. He was completely beside himself as he watched me with scorn and I _think_ even some envy.

"My whole life has been a problem! Everything I've done has either been pointless or wrong!" Silver cried, glaring daggers at me and I could _feel _it. "And you…you just flaunt how _happy_ you are to live in a world that's beautiful and how _lucky_ you are to have a bunch of friends who'd give their life for you..."

His whole body suddenly sagged, like he was getting ready to fall over.

"…and I don't expect you to understand where I'm coming from."

To see anyone in such a dejected state was really horrifying, because it was Silver who was so far gone in that pool of despair that I couldn't even throw him a life saver. I remember that back when we were fighting that first time, Silver had been so afraid of failing to fulfill his mission that it drove him mad. He was so scared of returning back to the future he came from…

"_He was scared straight to the very core, he was angry at something, confused by someone…but one thing I understood above all else…was that he thought he could find solace by taking my life."_

But now he was on my side, and he was working to help truly prevent that calamity…so now I could only imagine how it felt to have all your initial ambitions taken away, like someone ripping out a rug from under you and leaving you to fall flat on your back. It was hard to stand up again after something like that…but Silver HAD done that; he just didn't realize how important of a move it was.

"You're right," I finally began, watching Silver carefully. "I can't entirely empathize with you, but I can definitely see your turmoil, and no one deserves to feel that way."

Silver's gaze never left me as I approached him, trying to convey my point. He flinched a little from me, but I smiled to let him know it was okay.

"So the world gets a little crazy...embrace it! Have fun with it! Weird things happen all the time; denying that fact doesn't help anything!" I held my arms out and twirled around to empathize. "All you have to do is not ask so many questions- just let it happen, and let it be!"

Silver frowned and folded his arms. "That's easy for you to say."

_If only he knew. _

"Is it really?" I shrugged at him, not really wanting to elaborate beyond that. "Do you really think I was as happy and content with my life right from the get go? Is that what you think?"

Silver's eyes looked shocked like I had found him out; he bit his lip and awkwardly turned away from me. I let a sigh escape me as I brought my hands to my hips.

"Well that's totally not the case," I explained, shaking my head. I knew fully well that nothing was ever that simple. "You can't just wake up one day and decide to be happy…you have to suffer first, even just a little, and actually_ realize_ that you deserve to be happy despite the hardships…and from there, you can work hard to show other people that they can be happy too."

I gave him a thumbs up; he seemed to calm down a little, but still looked pretty disconcerted.

"Sometimes happiness lies trapped in misery, and that's the kind of happiness that's most rewarding, I like to think."

Silver remained silent, pondering my words deeply, which was in hindsight beary good. If what he said about his life was true, then hearing words of encouragement and hope were probably few and far between for him, and he might not have been entirely sure on how to deal with it. Thus, I looked around on the ground for something to prove my point, because this was important- someone's stability was on the line!

Spotting what I was looking for, I knelt on the ground and gestured for Silver to come over. He looked around confusedly, but he knelt beside me.

"Um, what are we doing…?"

I merely pointed to a lone blue flower; one that was struggling to grow in a particularly dry patch of soil.

"That flower is you," I told him, and he gave me a disappointed and quizzical look.

"What in the _world _are you trying to tell me?"

"What I'm trying to tell you is that, like this flower, you were forced to grow in not the best circumstances," I explained, pointing at the soil. "But despite that, you were able to flourish anyway, though you may not even realize…"

Silver pondered this for a moment before he started looking around too, eyeing a stream of water like what I had rode on earlier. He used his powers to catch some of it, then brought it over and poured it over the flower's soil. Almost instantly, the flower perked up, and I couldn't help but grin.

"No matter how terrible life chooses to become, as long as we plant the seeds of hope, they _will_ bloom into a bright future," I hummed happily. "So Silver, don't be so quick to give up hoping, okay?"

Silver stared at the flower for the longest time, soaking it all in like the flower was soaking in the water. Eventually, it all seemed to click, and he nodded slowly.

"…okay. I won't. Not anymore."

"Marvelous!" I chirped, springing back to my feet. I assisted him back to his, and for the first time, I actually thought I saw him smiling- but it was so quick and fleeting that I nearly missed it. Still, he clenched his fist with a new found determination, and the glow of his powers seemed even brighter.

"Allow me to go on ahead- I'll clear the path for you," he offered, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you looked like you could use a short break from the high speed earlier; your face was green, but it wasn't thanks to your aura if ya know what I mean."

He gave me a quick look before he marched off to clear the area off robots and crates, walking with a renewed air of confidence. I folded my arms and smirked as he worked, pretty impressed.

"Sonic, you've done it again!"

"Yes- you've worked a miracle."

…_Well, THAT certainly wasn't my inner monologue._

Blinking in surprise at the new voice, I looked behind me to see a purple cat emerging out of the trees, watching me with astonished eyes and an almost disbelieving look. I gave this newcomer girl a small smile and shrug.

"Nah, not a miracle. I can do that for anyone."

"You don't completely understand…" she explained to me, coming nearer. "Silver…he hasn't been willing to hope or believe in anything for long, and to see you just magically change his mind…!"

"It's all about perspective," I stated. "I merely gave him a new one to consider."

She clenched her fist in front of her, like she wanted to avoid talking to me, but eventually her gaze turned back and began to study me closely.

_Sheesh, I know I was good looking…!_

"…so, you're the Blaze Silver has been telling me about," I began, holding out my hand. "It's nice to finally meet you face to face. Apparently you're very elusive."

"…and you're the Sonic that everyone speaks so highly about," Blaze responded as she grabbed my hand. "It's so strange to finally meet you. Even since I was told you were the Iblis Trigger, I had this nagging feeling that something about that accusation wasn't quite right, but how could I possibly know that when I'd never met you…?"

I folded my arms behind my head and smirked. "Maybe because I give off an anti-Iblis Trigger vibe? All my friends tell me that."

A ghost of a smile crossed her face, but it was gone as fast as it had arrived. "Seeing you now, I'm almost glad I was wrong. I mean, I know _I_ never tried to kill you, but I did encourage Silver to do so and I-"

"Hey, it's okay!" I exclaimed, holding up my hand. "You both were doing just what you thought you had to! I can respect that, you know?"

Blaze seemed startled by my response, but eventually nodded. Still, a question was niggling in the back of my mind, and I knew it was sudden, but I couldn't help but ask.

"So, uh, just out of simple curiosity…" I started, and her ears perked up, intrigued. "…how come you're away from Silver so often? He gets really worried about it, you know."

"It's…a bit complicated…." she trailed, looking abashed. "I'm not sure you'd understand-"

"Well I'm willing to listen anyway," I said casually enough. Blaze still looked unsure. "Hey, come on! Try me!"

She stared at the ground like it was suddenly interesting before she sighed and glanced up at me. "…it's because I need time for myself sometimes. I know that seems incredibly selfish, and here in the past I couldn't help but get separated from Silver, but all the other times, I just needed to be alone…"

I blinked curiously, as her words strangely resonated with me.

"I adore Silver as my friend, but I can't constantly stay by his side," she continued. "I have to move about, looking for new things to give me a reason to carry on, and…I do it for his own sake because he's become so attached, and I thought he needed to be more independent. I wasn't trying to hurt him, I just…roam and run because I feel I have to…!"

Blaze bit her thumb and glanced away from me, as if this was the first time she was admitting such a thing.

"Does that…make me a terrible person? Am I selfish for leaving so constantly, or am I merely doing a good thing for myself by doing what makes me feel better?"

_I might as well have looked in a mirror._

She practically took my own words out of my mind. Everyone was well aware that I ran around to new places for extended periods of time, but whenever they asked me why, it was so hard to explain, because no one did what I did. No one could understand that I only did so because I needed to- not because I was trying to get away from my friends, or to make them worry! Sure, it was a tad selfish, not being tied down by anything and reveling in it, but I needed to get out and explore the world I lived in; needed to find the new things that were waiting for me…and I regretted that I couldn't always bring who I wanted with me.

_As I told Elise, not many people could just get up and go, so what I did every day seemed fanatical to them…_

…_but Blaze got it._

"You're not a terrible person," I said softly. "But if you are for doing what you feel you have to, then I guess I am too. Sometimes we have to be the bad guy, I suppose…!"

She stared at me, shocked out of her mind. Frankly, it was pretty much the same look I had when she was giving her spiel, so it was rightfully placed.

"I absolute hate leaving my friends behind when I leave, so I try not to leave for long, but I still leave," I murmured, smiling sadly. "…though I guess the important thing is that I come back sooner or later."

Blaze nodded as though she had realized something herself, before she grimaced and looked away again. "Sorry, I…I'm not normally good with conversing with anyone aside from Silver…"

"Silver's not exactly a conversation starter either," I murmured under my breath, but she heard and quickly moved to hide her laugh behind her hand. "…ahem, anyway, Silver says you're pretty fast!"

"It's my most redeeming quality," Blaze replied, holding out her hand and creating a flame in her palm. "…unless you'd like to count my flames, but I don't."

"Nah, nah, speed is pretty cool," I hummed aloofly. "But if I could shoot flames out of my hand, I'd be pretty hot, heh heh."

"Well, it's not exactly all it's cracked up to be," Blaze explained, putting out her fire. I started bouncing on my heels excitedly.

"Well, _I_ think you could totally do some cool things with that!" I exclaimed. "All I can do is _this_."

Blaze took a step back as I burst into a grin and started running in a rapid circle, creating one of my signature whirlwinds. Naturally the wind whipped up, taking along some scattered leaves and fallen blossoms up with it, creating an eccentrically selcouth display for Blaze to watch. I dunno what was so mystifying by watching me run in a circle, but I guess I must have had some crazy effect, because when I jumped out, clapped my hands, and sent the leaves and blossoms dispersing everywhere, Blaze's eyes were wide.

"Wow," was all she hummed, too astonished for anything more descriptive.

"Eh, not _nearly_ as neat as making fire out of thin air, if you ask me," I insisted semi-modestly, and she eyed me curiously. "What's a little wind against a massive wall of flames anyway?"

Blaze kept studying me, before she rested her chin on her fist and gifted me with an inquiring expression. "It's peculiar…how you're so willingly nice to someone like me."

"Am I not _supposed_ to be nice?" I asked with a chuckle, and she instantly stammered.

"Well, that's not what I meant, but-!"

"I try my best to give out good first impressions, but you…" I laughed again, cutting her off before she could get too serious about it. "You just really look like you could use another friend."

She was withdrawn and perceptive for sure, but I was an easy guy to get to know, so seeing her smile even just a little was momentous accomplishment for me- meant I was doing something right. However, before we could continue our conversation, we were sort of stuck staring at each other when Silver returned, and…I dunno, he was completely taken aback or something.

"What the-? Blaze, when did you get here?"

"Not that long ago," Blaze responded as she stepped forward and folded her arms. "I was just talking to Sonic while we waited."

"I like her." I flashed a peace sign at Silver, but he didn't look too amused so I broke down and got down to business. "So, you made a straight forward path for us?"

"Yes, I made sure that there were no robots on our way forward," he stated with a bit of delay. "We're free to go!"

"Hey, not bad! Then I guess I'll take it from here!" I threw a glance behind me and winked at Blaze. "Guess I'll get to see this speed of yours now!"

"Yes; I suppose you will…" she responded calmly, crouching slightly to prepare to run. Silver was looking between the two of us, totally confused, but once I started moving, Blaze was right behind me, and Silver had no choice but to follow.

_Here we go!_

I took the lead as I tore down the road ahead, making my way through the castle walls and working my way through a cave. I wasn't too focused on my surroundings, just on where I was going, because this was crunch time! Thus, I started running up alongside a wall, hoping to get a good visual on the Egg Carrier. However, once we started going up high, I heard Blaze murmur uncomfortably behind me.

"You all right?" I questioned me, but she nodded and waved it off.

"Yeah, just...a little anxiety," she replied, levelheaded as ever. "I assure you; I'm fine."

"Man, why are we even running up a wall_ anyway_?" Silver complained from the back. "We're going to fall…!"

"I know; isn't it sweet?!"I shouted loudly, and I heard him wince. "But really, we'll need some height if we're going to reach the Egg Carrier…!"

"Just…not too high, right?" whispered Blaze under her breath.

_Man, she really was opposed to heights- I loved them!_

Still, it wasn't going to do me much good if she was to go and pass out or something, so I diverted our course through one of the stained glass windows of the castle, ushering the others to follow me. I leapt through the glass and skidded on the ground, wasting no time in locating the door and barreling through that like it was made of paper.

"This way!"

When I tumbled back outside, I found a strange-looking device adorned with a green gem, so I gave it a kick, and to my delight, a spout of water sprayed out of it. It looked just like the streams of water I'd grinded on before, so I leapt on one and let it carry me to the next area. I noticed Blaze hop on behind me, the pinnacle of pure balance, while Silver played it safe and stuck to flying.

_Whatever floated his boat!_

Blaze and I ended up winding up and down and all around the buildings on the water streams, with me pumping my fist into the air as I attempted a few tricks. They increased my speed considerably, and at seeing that, Blaze tried her hand at a few moves too. Even when we launched into the air we were spinning around and waving our arms like fools, but it was fun!

"Piece of cake! No sweat!"

She smiled a little back, but our good times were cut short when the ground we landed on ended up being another unstable bridge, which had begun to shake and crumble the moment we alighted on it. I turned to Blaze and motioned her for her to move; she stuck behind me, and we were just barely able to stay ahead of the crumbling. We jumped from debris to debris, with Blaze even shooting a few out of our way with her flames.

_And she said they wouldn't come in handy._

Anyway, when we truly reached stable ground, I glanced up at the sky, just barely catching sight of the Egg Carrier vanishing behind the tip of the castle. My heart beat suddenly increased, and the adrenaline in my veins skyrocketed, leaving me feeling like I had to move, and _now._

"We can do it- we're almost out of the valley!" I called, a hard edge to my voice. It was now or never at this point; if I let Eggman get away, I could kiss the future goodbye, and Silver and Blaze…their world would still be in shambles, and we'd be left without an alternate choice.

_Time to do it to it!_

Thus, I threw my hands behind me, grabbed the wrists of Silver and Blaze, and _ran_. Within a few seconds, I'd broken the sound barrier, with Silver and Blaze letting out yelps of surprise behind me. I had no room for hesitance now- it was forward or nowhere at all, and as I ran through the water-logged part of the castle, I looked up and saw a rainbow, almost like it was put there to give me luck.

I smiled slightly, before narrowing my eyes and pressing forward with conviction. Speed was my friend here, and one mistake would be more than costly. However, I trusted in myself enough to make it through; I had to no matter what!

_Elise's life was riding on ME!_

Sprays of water hit my face as I made my way through the mist, dodging up and down the obstacles that were coming at me full force. I refused to get tripped up this time, even when I was forced to run along a wall drizzling with the water of the waterfall. I flipped off of that and bolted again when I landed, pushing myself to my very limit. I felt like the world would collapse around me if I dared to stop moving now. I was cutting it close as it was…

_And really, I had no idea how close it would be._

**S-E**

I'd been on Eggman's ship for about an hour now- we had already passed over Kingdom Valley, where he dispatched one of his drones for the Chaos Emerald we came for. It returned in record time, and before I knew it, Eggman was seeking out another one.

"See, Princess, how much smoother things can be if you just comply with me?" he asked me bittersweetly. I just curled up my fists in my lap and sneered. At the very least, he had kept his promise and left my kingdom alone…but if he really got away with controlling time, what WAS he going to spare?

_Certainly not Sonic._

He was supposed to be off_ stopping_ Eggman, and I was supposed to be back at my castle tending to my kingdom, but neither of those things were happening now. I didn't know how long it would take Eggman to find all the emeralds, but it was only a matter time.

_Time…something that we desperately had so little of…_

I had closed my eyes to think in peace, but an ear-splitting alarm suddenly started wailing, and my eyes flew back open to see Eggman pounding dramatically at his dashboard, thrown into a state of panic.

"Huh?! HUH?!" he stammered, bewildered by the whirlwind of chaos. "The engines are malfunctioning?!"

I rose from my seat in a hurry, gaping at Eggman and willing him to fix whatever was going wrong.

"Wait, what's this?! Stop all engines _now_!"

But the alarms just kept blaring away, and in his frustration, Eggman pounded his dashboard, which gave off a blue spark in protest.

"…why is this happening?" he despaired loudly. "…no, this ship is about to crash!"

"Don't give up that easily! We're about to die!" I balled up my fists and yelled at him. "Fix it, _fix it_!"

"There's nothing I can do from here!" Eggman shouted back. "It's an internal malfunction, and I certainly can't_ fix_ it while we're in the air!"

It was then that I heard the first explosion of an engine, and out the window I could see plumes of smoke, and a large jet of fire. I felt the Egg Carrier, in all its might, suddenly begin to sink out of the sky…but my eyes were locked onto that glorious pit of fire, and that_ thing_ stirring around inside me wanted to break free and join in on the pandemonium.

_Well, in a few minutes, maybe it'd get that chance. _

**E-S**

The valley outside of the castle was placid and still, yet had a melancholic air about it. The sky was dark and depressing like a bad omen; a stark contrast to the rainbow I'd seen earlier. The atmosphere for the air only made my heart beat faster, and while my legs were on the verge of cramping up with how hard I was going, I _refused_ to stop, because Elise needed me-!

BOOM.

That was only the first of the soul-crushing sounds from the Egg Carrier, but as soon as I heard it, I felt my hands clench up, scanning the sky for the source of the sound. My worst fears were confirmed when the Egg Carrier scraped against the sky, beginning to plummet in a slow and agonizing descent.

_N-no…NO!_

Some sort of primal cry of anguish escape from me as I let go of Silver and Blaze, reducing the drag on me and scrambling to gain more speed. I had to be faster; had to move…! But the room I had to run on was running out, like my time.

_Come on, come on…!_

No matter how much I internally pleaded with the forces of fate, Eggman's Carrier just kept falling hopelessly, burning more and more with each passing second and the flames glowing brighter by the moment. Elise was somewhere inside, and I couldn't get to her-

_I HAD to get to her! There was no alternative!_

BAAAAAANG.

The world lit up in a bright fury of orange, the light of the explosion reaching all the way across the valley, between the cliff that separated me from where the carrier landed. Even against that harsh light, I tried to look forward for any sign that Elise might've survived; that this was all just a crazy nightmare and that I'd wake up in Dusty Desert with her still next to me, or for me to stir from a nap on our way back home…heck, I'd even take a redo of the Festival of the Sun over this!

But the definitive boom continued to echo throughout the valley like a particularly angry patch of thunder, and when the fires finally settled down and the glow seemed to die, I went completely limp inside, staring emptily at the spot where Elise had vanished from my life.

_I'd been too late…?_

_And someone died…because of me?_

My chest locked up, suddenly feeling like I couldn't breathe. I could only feebly reach forward, like I could put my hand over the edge of the horizon, grab Elise, and bring her back to me. Nothing happened, as I anticipated in the back of my head... My arm started to tremble, and the world blurred, but not in the way I liked…

And suddenly, the realization washed over me like a heavy tsunami, and a loud, primal scream built up within me and before I knew it I was desperately wailing her name.

"ELIIIIIIIIISE!"

I didn't even know when I sank to my knees, but I was kneeling at the edge of the cliff, my shaking arms struggling to hold up my body off the ground. The world was swirling around and making me sick, so I ducked my head low and tried to shield my eyes from the world; tried to shut it out like it wasn't there and wanted it to just go away…!

_Why'd this have to happen?!_

"The Day of Disaster…" I heard Blaze tremble quietly, shaking her head. "…has come to pass…"

_And Elise…_

…_she was gone. _


End file.
